Space Crown
by FropessionalWriter
Summary: AU. Jay Walker has one job: to seize and bring in the intergalactic fugitive, Cole Brookstone. Then, rescue him again. All while falling in love. Bruiseshipping.
1. The Job

"Tell us what he did," Kai threatened.

Dr. Borg raised his arms, shielding his eyes from the dangerously bright light that was poised right in front of his face. He tried to recall what had happened hours earlier, racking his memory for any suggestable evidence that might be beneficial towards Garmadon's team.

"I had guards surrounding the building." He started.

The young man standing before him snorted. "And even that didn't work, did it, Dr. Borg? You still lost the teapot, remember?"

Borg gnawed at his lip, eyes searching the room as if the answers were there. "He must have slipped by them if my droids weren't able to detect a single trace of movement. He's like a ghost!"

Before the two could continue their discussion any further, a knock sounded at the door. Kai spun his head around, wanting a better look of the suspect who had killed the mood.

"Dr. Borg, is my brother bothering you?" His sister at the door joked, switching the lights on almost immediately.

Kai spun around on his heels defensively. "Hey! I'm trying to collect evidence from the crime! He _is_ a witness, isn't he?"

Nya rolled her eyes, unamused. She pointed to the door, forcing him out. "Lloyd wants to see you."

With a pout, Kai carried his feet to the door with a long, exasperated sigh.

When her brother had gone, Nya switched off the reading light and turned it away from Dr. Borg. She helped him out, walking him to the nearest exit where Garmadon was waiting for them.

Nya spoke first, her tone soft and apologetic. "Sorry about my brother. He gets really excited whenever something big happens where he thinks he can dig up some dirt about Cole."

Borg rested his elbows on the armrests of his wheelchair, smiling fondly at Nya. "That's quite alright, my dear." A sigh between. "Although I am a bit worried that he got away with the teapot. A relic that old hasn't been touched in ages."

Nya nodded along as they came to a stop in front of Ninjago's finest officer.

The Chief sported a navy blue polo uniform, neatly tucked in and with a friendly smile, looking presentable as always. He sauntered towards the two of them with his hand outstretched out in politeness to greet Dr. Borg.

"Pleasure to see you again, old friend," Garmadon noted, patting his younger friend on the back.

"The same to you," Borg agreed with much enthusiasm.

Nya left the two to catch up as she sought out her brother. The one whom she had sent to find Lloyd because he had something important to fill him up on. However, that something was really nothing, since Nya figured it was the only way to get Kai to leave Dr. Borg alone from interrogation.

"Of course. Iced coffee, why am I not surprised?"

Kai looked up from the tip of his straw and at his sister. His smile instantly turned upside down.

"You told me Lloyd wanted to see me."

Nya grinned. "Yeah, I did."

"Well all he did was take me out to buy this!" Kai pointed an accusing finger at his drink. "I mean, I'm always down for some iced coffee, but we almost had him, Nya!"

The younger detective folded her arms across her chest, pouting. "I know, and believe me I would have _loved_ if we could have brought him in as well. But he got away, Kai."

"He _always_ gets away."

Nya pulled out her comm, swiping up to reveal the picture of a dorky looking space pirate - chocolate hair and speckled freckles, with an eyepatch and a bold smile. She flashed her screen at Kai, gesturing to the space pirate.

"Mmm, that's what you say, but I've been doing a bit of research, and I think I might know a way that we can finally catch him."

* * *

Cole leaned back in his chair, feet up on the table and a glimmer in his eyes as he examined the teapot greedily.

"You've done it again, Brookstone," he started, his reflection staring back at him through the teapot. "Once again, another successful heist."

He had only heard about it in legends, but to physically see it, to know it was truly real, that was the real prize Cole had been after. His fingers wandered over the displaced symbol, wondering if he should twist the pieces back into place.

Though the thief could care less about a djinn, or it's wish granting magical properties.

Besides, Cole had several other stolen goods that were perfectly capable of granting wishes as well. Like he'd trust any djinn. He knew better from the stories.

Cole stood up from the chair, turning up his tunes as he took the teapot into another room that was filled with various stolen artifacts.

If he were being totally honest with himself, it was getting lonely. But loneliness was just something that made him a weaker victim. Vulnerable, even. For years, Cole had grown to learn that working alone was the path to success. Acquaintances only blossomed into friendships, which led to complex relationships. Relationships only fostered emotions, which would send him spiraling down an endless rabbit hole of who knew what.

Which was why Cole had no regrets when he slipped through Kai's fingers just mere inches from being caught in his light.

Their relationship was a complicated, back and forth. Neither of them really liked the other. Kai was simply determined to catch the intergalactic fugitive, while Cole only enjoyed teasing him otherwise.

He placed the teapot carefully onto an empty spot on one of the shelves, confidently admiring it.

That baby was worth a fortune.

Unfortunately, Cole had no intentions of selling it ever. Everything he stole, he kept in this room. Untouched and out of arm's reach from anyone who would somehow manage to discover his hideout.

But that was as rare as a single star in the night sky. For now, everything was just fine.

And for now, he needed to plan his next heist.

He exited the room of stolen goods, the door shutting automatically behind him with a soft thud. Cole swiped his comm off the table, fishing through an abundance of news articles.

There was one about a new cafe.

Another couple articles on Garmadon's new intern: Harumi.

Then a several good number of articles covered his story from the heist last night.

But if he went all the way back to almost a week ago, Cole would find the news about the grand reopening of Ninjago's biggest museum.

And that, was where he would find the Yin Blade.

* * *

"Once again, another daring escape by Ninjago's criminal mastermind, Cole Brookstone." Gayle fixed her glasses on camera. "Borg Industries defenses weren't enough, it seems. What was stolen? An ancient, dangerous teapot known as the Teapot of Tyrahn. Stories have warned its users to be wary of their wishes, for-"

The television switched off.

Jay rested his chin in the palm of his hand, using his free hand to poke about the eggs on his plate.

He scoffed. If he knew any better, then there was no way Cole would actually use the teapot. That thief had far greater possessions for him to get sucked into a djinn who granted wishes.

Nonetheless, something about Cole struck him as fascinating. And no, he wasn't head over heels for the fugitive. At least he thought he wasn't. But it was something about the way the criminal moved. He'd studied all of Cole's tactics on the playing field.

The way he skillfully used charm and wits to wriggle himself out of a tough spot.

The way he gracefully landed on his feet whenever thrown a dangerous punch.

His flawless maneuver. His daring heists which never seemed to fail. Really, he was made for this.

Which led to the reason behind why Jay took the offer to bring Cole in. To meet Cole, in exchange for some reasonable compensation.

As a space pirate, he went around taking anything he liked, whatever he liked, and whenever he wanted. To some extent of course. Jay didn't like to go against the rules quite as much as someone like Cole would. It was somewhat of a moral code he sought to follow.

"Fantasizing about Cole again, perhaps?" came the voice of his tech savvy colleague, but most importantly, friend.

Jay's face flushed deeply and he turned around, cape hiding his distinct blush.

"N-No." He cleared his throat. "I was just… analyzing some details. It's none of your business."

Pixal smirked, raising an eyebrow. For an android, she certainly had some sass to her.

Jay waved Pixal's enthusiasm aside, moving past her and to the bridge. "Updates?"

"We have arrived. J-Bot is looking for a spot to land."

J-Bot was Jay's little robot helper. Something the space pirate had created ages ago when he was just a kid to be his sort of friend. Jay never got rid of him since.

Jay eyed the buildings outside the front window of his ship, taking a deep breath.

"Remind me again why I agreed to this?" He joked, fingers claiming the seat as he braced himself for landing.

He was about to meet, face to face, with two of Ninjago's finest detectives under Garmadon's squad.

Pixal only rolled her eyes.

Slowly, he scampered down the ramp, Pixal tailing not too far behind him. He stopped in front of who he assumed were Nya and Kai, the ones who had brought him here in the first place.

Nya outstretched her arm to Jay, a smile across her face. Jay returned it hesitantly whilst Kai stood behind her, swirling a drink in his hand: iced coffee.

The younger detective gestured Jay towards her brother. "Kai, this is Jay Walker. Space Pirate who agreed to help us take Cole in." Jay waved sheepishly.

"Can you really do it?" Kai snapped, taking one terrifying step forward. Jay nearly flinched himself, taken aback and off guard.

Jay gripped the ends of his cloak tight, nodding. "Um, I-"

"Of course he can. That's why I hired him, Kai." Nya looked to her brother confidently. She thumbed a finger at Jay over her shoulder. "We're going to get Cole one way or the other. And if anyone can do it better than we can, it's him."

Kai scrunched his nose, tossing the empty cup into the nearest trash. He looked Jay dead in the eyes. "Something about you makes me hesitant to trust you, but I will if I have to. However, I will tell you this _Jay Walker_: if you fail to bring in Cole - turn your back on us and refuse to bring in this galaxy's most wanted criminal - you're going to get more than just prison bars."

Jay held his breath momentarily, trying to maintain a clear and composed form in front of Kai and the others.

"Leave the guy alone, Kai," Nya butted in, stepping between the two of them. She held her brother back, a hand on his chest. "But he's right," she told Jay, "this is a deal between _us,_ which means you _must_ bring him in or else there will be consequences."

"Right." Jay relaxed his once tensed shoulders.

Nya nodded. "Then good luck."

* * *

Jay plumped down onto an empty chair when he was back in his ship. He had never felt so _pressured_ in his _life_.

"I realize Kai must have scared you out of your boots," Pixal teased, closing the hanger doors as J-Bot prepared for take off.

The space pirate gladly chuckled, wiggling his feet around. "Fortunately, I'm still in my boots." He reached to scratch the back of his neck nervously, "But yeah, he must have been _ticked_ today. I heard it was a close call when they found Cole at the robbery last night."

Pixal nodded in agreement. Then a thought struck her. "What makes you think you can catch him, then?"

Jay grinned smugly, jumping out of his seat and pulling out his comm. He showed his notes to Pixal. "I've been doing some research, and I learned _quite_ a few things, if I do say so myself. For starters, Cole's always working alone, which means that relationships seem like something that only gets in the way."

"I fail to see the reasoning behind that. Wouldn't that make it harder for you to get him to trust you?"

"Maybe. Yeah." Jay shrugged. "But I'd most likely be _the first_. All I have to do is gain his trust. Get him to think that I'm on his side."

"You would be playing him like a puppet."

Jay stuffed his comm back into his pocket, clenching his fists. "He's a _criminal_! And besides, I'm getting paid good stuff for this." He stood, hovering behind J-Bot, checking out the coordinates on the screen.

"He's going to be after the Yin Blade next." Jay deadpanned, setting a new route.

"The museum just announced their grand reopening a couple days before he stole the teapot. We'll meet him there."


	2. Two Truths and a Lie

"What do you think the chances are that Jay doesn't turn Cole in?" Kai eyed his sister from his desk as he shook his iced beverage, feet on the table.

Nya glared at him from the corner of her eyes, an ugly frown on her face. She pulled out her scroll, swiping through all of the information they had on Jay. "I think he's going to do the right thing and turn him in." She stopped once she came upon an updated picture of him, the caption underneath reading: Space Pirate of the Sixteen Stars.

She sniffed. "After all, I hired him to do the job. This kid's known for doing the dirty work for other people."

Kai swung his feet off the table, sitting up in his chair. "What? He got, like, a five-star rating on Chirp?"

Nya rolled her eyes. Her brother pointed a finger at her. "He's a _space pirate_. Sis, these aren't the same as bounty hunters. They do want they like, when they want, if it benefits them. You could pay them to do the work but it might never get done. You can't trust him. That's all I'm saying."

"I say, in case things go South, we put up posters." Kai opened a drawer, pulling out a stack of papers. Nya gaped at him.

"Why do you have those?"

"Doesn't matter," he waved her off, peeling off the top sheet and showing it to her.

"WANTED" it read.

Underneath it: 40 Billion units.

Nya shook her head.

"Woah, woah, _woah. _40 _billion_ units? Kai, did Garmadon approve this?"

Kai chose not to answer that.

* * *

J-Bot had parked the ship just several buildings down from the museum. A place high up on the roof of some building where they couldn't be seen from far away.

Pixal lowered her binoculars, having been waiting and watching for Cole from a safe distance. "I assume you have a plan?" She asked as Jay grew nearer.

Jay approached Pixal by the hangar doors, two small earpieces in hand. He unfurled his fingers, gesturing for Pixal to take one of the earpieces.

"What are these for?"

Jay slammed his hand against the button which released the doors. He turned to Pixal before putting in his earpiece.

"My plan," he smirked. Jay held onto the side of his ship as the platform slowly expanded onto the roof of the building. He held his gaze for a moment, reciting his plan. "Once I'm inside, I'll give you the signal to call Skylor."

Pixal blinked. "Skylor? Jay, she will take you both to prison."

The space pirate waved her off, flattered by her concern. "Exactly."

Skylor was also law enforcement. Or, sort of. Chief Garmadon and his detectives could hunt the entire star system. Skylor only had a precinct to run. However, there were some places where Garmadon and his team could not lay a finger. Ninjago's Museum of Finer Things was one of them, since it was part of the section Skylor had cut out as responsibility of her and her precinct.

"With all the commotion, it'll force Cole to retreat. Hopefully, with me. That is, assuming I convince him to flee with me because I have a ship and he doesn't."

Pixal stared at Jay with glazed eyes. "That is a terrible plan."

"Well, excuse me? Do _you_ have a better plan to capture Cole?"

"There are several other options that require little to no effort as the plan you had described earlier. For instance, you could kidnap-"

Jay stopped her there, holding a hand to her face. "First of all, I don't kidnap people. I'm a space pirate, not a bounty hunter. Secondly, Cole's too smart to be _kidnapped_. He'd sniff out a trap within seconds."

The droid let out a deep sigh, putting in her earpiece. "Very well."

* * *

Just outside the museum, Cole stood on a ledge, fishing for the pocket knife somewhere in his jacket.

Once he found what he was looking for, he carved a circle onto the glass, a twinkle in his eyes as he soundly pushed out the circular cut glass. Carefully, he stepped into the building, setting the glass down by his side.

Dozens of artifacts surrounded him on display. Either held up on a pedestal or thrown into a glass case. Hungry eyes greedily took in the view. If he had the time and energy, he would have taken everything. But only one thing truly mattered to him. And it was then his eyes fell upon the prized token.

The yin blade. A fascinating tool said to grant immortality.

Of course, Cole wasn't going to wish it upon himself to live forever.

If anything, that was the _last_ thing he wanted. Along with a whole bunch of other things. But he knew of someone who would be willing to pay good money for rare finds like the yin blade.

Stepping up to the glass display, he crouched down, slipping his hand into the satchel, feeling around for any tools to put in place of the yin blade once removed.

As he searched, however, it didn't occur to him that Jay was just outside, looking for a way in.

The space pirate crept around the side of the museum, looking for a way inside. Preferably, Cole's route inside. It was only until he decided to look upwards that Jay found a manageable sized hole in the glass walls. With a grin, he climbed up onto the ledge, following Cole's exact path.

The soft thud of a pair of feet alerted Cole and he quickly fled from the center of the room, hiding behind a corner. He silently cursed. He had never been caught in the middle of a caper before. This could only mean one of two things: either he was being followed, or there was someone else who was after the yin blade as well. And Cole couldn't take any of those chances.

Whoever was here shouldn't have come.

Now trapped in an ugly predicament, the thief looked for something hard. And big. Something _painful_.

Meanwhile, Jay was still by the window. He gently kicked the cut circular piece of glass which was up against the wall, raising a hand to his ear.

"Pix, I'm in. But don't do anything yet."

Inside, Jay found it was extremely dark except for the several lights that shone above the yin blade in the middle of the museum.

"Wait a minute." His stomach sunk suddenly. "Something's… not right. The yin blade is still here."

Jay looked around, holding a hand above his belt so that it was ready to reach for something defensive if something lunged. He tiptoed about the museum, holding his breath every step of the way.

Nothing was making sense. The yin blade was still in its case. There was a hole in the window, which meant Cole had obviously snuck in. He should have taken it by now. He should have been on his way out.

Jay scowled at himself. His plan should have worked.

"Pixal, I think-"

Then a blunt force hit him hard on the back of his head. Before Jay could speak any further, his legs gave way and he crumpled to the ground, his earpiece bouncing off towards the foot of a crate.

_Jay? Jay? What happened?_

But Jay couldn't answer. Whatever it was that hit him, it had knocked him out good. He was out cold. Like a light. And he sure as heck wasn't going to be getting up again for the next few hours.

_Jay, I am calling Skylor._

From the shadows, Cole stepped forward, a massive staff in his hands.

His muscles tensed at the sight of the unconscious space pirate on the floor. "What the?" Cole nudged the body lightly with his foot, holding back a million questions.

He crouched down on his knees, plucking the cape from the motionless body and twirling it around a finger. The material was light, and breathable. He liked it.

From the corner of his eyes, the yin blade called to him. But Cole had a slight change of plans.

* * *

Harumi was Chief Garmadon's new intern. Small and quiet, but a natural hard worker and very knowledgeable on various antiques.

From a young age, she admired the work Garmadon did in protecting the city. She travelled star to star in search for a place where Garmadon's work _hadn't _left an impact. However, there was no where she travelled where his name wasn't legendary. In fact, his brother had served years before him, but quickly fell into retirement where his nephew took care of him.

Lloyd Garmadon, was the boy's name.

Harumi didn't care about him. Nor did she care about the brother, Wu.

Garmadon was more practical and well in control than Wu was. He had the same views and methods as Harumi did. Something Harumi stood by proudly.

One of those was catching Cole Brookstone and locking him up for good for his crimes.

The criminal had been on the run for years. Never once was there a victory for the good guys.

If things had gone her way, Harumi would have used everything at her disposal. That included valuable artifacts as such.

Speaking of, Garmadon's voice intruded her thoughts suddenly. "Harumi, could you see if we have any files on Jay Walker? One of my younger detectives thought it would be a good idea if we hired him to turn in Cole Brookstone," a sigh escaped his lips, "I wish she had run a background check with me first."

Harumi tilted her head. "You hired someone, without _any_ idea of what you could be up against?"

"I trust Nya to make the right decisions. I would just like to get a quick look at his file. If he has one, that is."

"Of course, Sir," Harumi finally said, before slipping through the crack in between the door.

* * *

After what felt like a nice nap, Jay decided it was about time to wake up. He opened an eye, expecting to be back on his ship, but instead found himself bound to a chair in the middle of a small, suffocating, and dimly lit room. His wrists were bound to the sides, his legs spread and his ankles tied to the legs.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, _no_!"

Jay struggled, clenching his fists in a panic.

And as if things couldn't have gotten any worse, his cape was missing too.

Jay tugged again, trying to break free from the restraints that held him in place. He tilted his head to the right, wondering if he could itch his earpiece on. It hadn't occurred to him that it had fallen off back at the museum. "Pixal? Pix? Hello? Anybody?"

The space pirate bit his bottom lip fearfully, pulling harder.

It was clear now that his plan had backfired. It probably was made even clearer when whatever object had hit him on the back of the head earlier.

Nonetheless, Jay was panicking.

In fact, becoming a hostage was the _last_ thing he wanted.

"Gah, seriously?" Jay shut his eye and pulled.

"Struggling is pointless."

The space pirate stopped squirming and froze, eye darting from one corner of the room to another. He shook feverously. "Who said that?"

"Besides, this place was abandoned years ago. No one would search for you here. If they would, it'd be the very _last_ place anyone would look."

A shiver ran down Jay's spine as he searched for the source of the voice.

A high yelp left his lips when a hand touched the back of the chair, spinning him around.

Suddenly, a single blue eye met with grey ones and he shriveled back in his chair to the best of his abilities.

The wind blown dark hair, the raspy voice, and the grey eyes meant only one thing.

Jay swallowed anxiously. "It's you."

His comm lit up from his pocket and in a monotone voice, it said aloud, "Cole Brookstone. Intergalactic Fugitive and Thief."

And said criminal was wearing his _cape_.

The thief cocked a bushy brow, reaching into Jay's pocket and pulling out his comm. Jay squirmed.

"Hey! Give that back!"

"Did you really need a comm to tell you that?" He scoffed, tapping the screen like it was his first time holding a communicator.

Jay rolled his eye, gagging. "_No_. I know who you are, _thief_. You're Cole Brookstone, Ninjago's most wanted intergalactic criminal." _And somewhat handsome_, he added in his head.

"Psh, the comm told you that."

The space pirate narrowed his eye at him. "You're also very stubborn."

Cole's eyes darkened, and they drifted from the comm up to Jay. "Why were you following me?"

Jay blinked once. "Sorry?"

Standing up, Cole stuffed the comm away in his pocket before asking again. "Back at the museum. Why were you following me?"

"I- I don't know what you're talking about," the space pirate lied.

Something flashed in Cole's eyes and he took a giant step forward, crouching down in front of Jay. Their faces were uncomfortably close. So close that Jay could almost _feel_ him breathing heavily down on him. He cracked a crooked smile.

Cole wasn't phased by it. Jay could feel his body growing warmer the longer Cole stared. His eyes were all over him, from the eyepatch around the pirate's head to the boots snug around his feet.

"What are you? Some kind of cosplayer?"

Jay gaped, taken aback. "Rude! And no."

"Then _why_ were you following me?"

The space pirate shut his mouth, turning his head away from the criminal.

He heard a snarl, and the thief took a couple steps to the side, twiddling with Jay's comm in one hand where the pirate could see. "Fine. You're not getting this back, then."

Jay pursed his lips. He could deal with that. He smirked at him.

"Fine."

Cole's brows drew nearer, clearly irritated. "_Fine_."

And with that, Cole left him to stand by the door, eyes drifting back to him every now and then.

Jay chewed on the inside of his cheek nervously, searching his surroundings for anything he could possibly use to escape. He tapped his foot against the floor quietly, unintentionally beginning to whistle a tune.

As Jay searched, the criminal took it to mess around with Jay's comm. Unfortunately for him, the comm was locked by a passcode which only Jay knew. So, to Jay's luck, Cole couldn't do much with it.

And Jay couldn't do much with the room either.

After minutes of a sickening silence, Jay gave in, hanging his head.

If his plan didn't work the first time, maybe he'd just have to go and try something else. A thought flashed in his head suddenly and he knocked on the edge of the chair, gaining Cole's attention.

"Dunno why you're still trying to escape," Cole shrugged, tossing the comm back into his lap. Jay looked down, relieved that it was still intact.

"I'm not."

Cole raised a brow, intrigued. "Then what do you want?"

"To tell you the truth." Or _his_ twisted version of the truth, Jay determined.

"My name is Jay. A space pirate who was _also_ going to steal the yin blade."


	3. Ronin's Pawn Shop

**I am getting SO many BTC vibes writing this, haha.**

**And, for Jens (a guest review), since I can't reply to you privately, I'm happy you're enjoying it! And Peanut2196, yes! There is a Tangled vibe to it. Inspiration for this AU/story was pulled from many of my favorites, including Tangled. :)**

* * *

Pixal had to assume that Jay's plan would backfire, one way or the other. After all, it was common for all of Jay's ideas to crumble like a house of cards. It was really, nothing new.

However, Jay had not gone deep into the specifics of his plan to turn Cole in for compensation. So when the signal had cut with Jay, Pixal flew into panic mode. She was great at remaining calm. In fact, that was what she did. She kept a calm composure on the outside, while secretly uncalm on the inside.

"_Pixal, I think-"_

The second Jay cut off, Pixal called for help from Skylor and her team.

In the meantime, Pixal had jumped out of the ship, making her way towards the museum herself. Although, she had arrived at the scene seconds too late.

Jay was gone, but the Yin Blade was still in its case.

"Oh, Jay," she sighed, stepping over the misplaced staff and to the Yin Blade display case. She squinted. How could Cole have left without the Yin Blade? And where was Jay?

She spun around on her heels, spotting Jay's fallen earpiece from the corner of her eyes.

Suddenly, sirens in the distance. Pixal froze. She quickly stuffed the broken earpiece in her pocket and turned around, using a hand to shield her eyes from the flashing red and blue lights.

"Hands up where we can see them!"

* * *

Jay hadn't expected Cole to see right past his lie. Of course, Jay didn't know _what_ he expected Cole to believe. The guy was a criminal. He'd probably be able to sniff out a lie from miles away, but there was no harm in trying.

"I don't believe you," Cole deadpanned.

Perfect. Of course.

The space pirate shrugged, nodding his head to his comm. "Fine then, take my comm. It has _everything_ about me on there. Who I am. What I do." _Thankfully, nothing about my offer with Nya and Kai_, he added in his head, relieved.

Reluctantly, Cole took the comm off Jay's lap. It switched on to a locked screen.

Jay groaned inwardly. Right. He still had to unlock it.

"Just, turn it towards me. It should recognize my face."

Whilst rolling his eyes, Cole flipped the screen, flashing it in front of the other. The high beeping sound it made let Cole know that it had successfully worked, and that Jay had cleared the screen.

As Cole searched through Jay's documents and files, the pirate tried to get comfortable in his chair.

He gave Cole a onceover, taking note of his dull sand colored cargo pants, and the grey sleeveless hoodie over his black turtleneck undershirt. He wondered how often Cole didn't get cold, or whether or not he _did_ get cold.

He knew one thing for certain though: the criminal did not look good with a cape.

"So, you're a space pirate?" He asked.

Jay stopped moving, perking his head up at Cole. He grinned. "Yeah."

"How are you not a wanted criminal?"

Jay moved his wrists around, using hand gestures to back his claim. "I like to follow the rules. To an extent."

Cole scoffed. "Follow the rules? I don't play by the rules."

A moan. "Obviously. I'm not surprised. You're a thief." The corner of Cole's lips twitched upwards. "Might I add that you _kidnapped_ me and _tied_ me to a chair in a room where nobody knows where I am! You know you've already committed three crimes in a row."

"Go on," he urged Jay.

"You _broke_ into the Ninjago Museum. Planned to steal the Yin Blade, knocking me out instead and bringing me _here_, wherever here is, _binding_ me to a chair with no escape."

The criminal felt a smile tickle his face, humoured by the space pirate. He looked down almost instantly when the blood rushed to his cheeks. That was odd. _Keep it together, Cole_, he scolded himself.

"Alright." Clearing his throat, he switched off the device, slipping it into his pocket before stepping around the chair and crouching down behind Jay. The space pirate tried to turn his head, struggling to look over his shoulders at Cole.

"Um… What are you doing?"

"I'm… untying you?" Cole pulled gently on the string, the ropes around his ankles falling off first. Then went for the ties around his wrists. Jay looked at Cole, who was currently down on one knee in front of him, working his fingers around the ropes.

Jay's eyes lit up. "You believe me then?"

"No, I don't." Cole freed his wrists. Jay twirled them to relieve them from the pressure that had been there before. "But I'm eager to see where this goes."

Cole lifted his hands to his shoulders and took off the cape. He held it out to Jay.

He took it reluctantly, a small smile as he stood up from the chair, putting it back on his shoulders. "Thanks."

Cole waved it off. "So, Captain, you got a ship? I mean, you can't be a pirate without a ship, right?"

Jay's hands slowed their movement. He raised his head at Cole. _Captain_, it had a nice ring to it. Nonetheless, this was _Cole_ he was up against. But… _Cole_. He was chased out of his own head when Cole threw him the comm.

"Right! Right." Jay cleared his throat. "Yes, I _do_ have a ship… Um…" He lifted a finger, processing his thoughts when suddenly, he realized, he had no way of reaching Pixal through his comm without any signal. Not to mention, his earpiece had gone missing too. Jay stuffed his face in front of his comm, trying to think of a plan.

He spent so much time thinking that he didn't notice when Cole had put his hand over the comm, lowering it so that he was eye level with Jay. "Something wrong?"

Jay squeaked, curling his fingers around the comm tighter. "Y-Yeah, um," With a huff, he stuffed the comm away inside a sleeve in his belt. He scratched the back of his neck anxiously, looking for a door somewhere. Anywhere.

He turned to Cole. "My comm's broken," he lied, "there's a crack and I can't reach Pix through it."

Cole put a hand on his hip, leaning towards him. "Oh?"

"Well, I know where we can go to fix it, but first, we need to get out of here."

* * *

Jay Walker was 20 years old.

He had no siblings.

He was adopted.

He had a companion: Pixal, a living, walking computer.

His first heist was when he was 18 years old. There were plenty of articles that centered around him, many of which praised him as a success, and dubbed him as the galaxy's next anti-hero.

That was all that Harumi could dig up on Jay. No other records, regarding the fact that he tended to follow the rules to a close extent, but nothing showing much reliability when working with someone else.

She closed the small file on Jay and put it aside, searching for Cole's. Now this criminal had _many_ records. His file was almost three times the size of Jay's.

"Whatcha doin, Rumi?" Came a voice from behind her.

The intern shut her eyes, stifling a groan.

"Don't call me that, Lloyd." She stacked the two square files on top of each other and turned around, glaring at the boy.

The chief's son grimaced. "Why not, _Rumi_? You used to always let me call you that."

Harumi rolled her eyes, walking past Lloyd. "That was when we were friends."

"You're saying we're not friends anymore?" Lloyd asked her, a hint of frustration in his voice.

She shut her mouth, peering at Lloyd from the corner of her eyes. How she wanted so badly to avoid this topic. Pretending as if she hadn't heard Lloyd, she handed him the cartridges containing the files, quickly changing subjects. "Give these to your dad. They're files we have on Jay Walker and Cole Brookstone."

Lloyd squinted. "I don't think my father needs to see Cole's files again."

"Maybe. But maybe he does. It exploits _all_ of Cole's weaknesses."

The young detective raised a brow. "Rumi, you must be confused. We don't know _any_ of Cole's weaknesses."

Harumi laughed mockingly. "You're very funny. Clearly you haven't dug deep enough into Cole's history. Have you even looked at anything _before _he became a criminal?" Lloyd refused to answer that, but the blank expression on his face said everything Rumi needed to get an answer. "Cole's never worked with _anybody_ before. Does that say anything to you?"

Lloyd shook his head with heavy disappointment.

"Whether or not Jay decides to turn Cole in, this space pirate could be the key to giving _us_ a path to finally catch him."

* * *

Cole walked beside Jay, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he stepped at the same pace as the pirate. After Cole had shown Jay the way out, the pirate led Cole to a market more on the technological side. Lots of stalls were offering replacement circuit boards, wires, and more. And another stall could fix comms.

"It shouldn't be too far, now. The one we're going to is a little lesser known." Jay told him, speeding up a little to lead Cole down a darker alley.

There was this _look_ on the space pirate's face. A sort of serious but taut expression. Cole wanted to believe that it had nothing to do with him, a criminal, walking side by side alongside a pirate, but a voice inside him said otherwise.

He took the leap and asked. "Everything okay?"

Jay's face flushed, caught off guard. "Yeah! Why wouldn't it be?" He stuttered.

Cole eased a bit. But he still sensed this nervousness about him.

"Something on your mind? You're looking stressed."

"Me? Stressed?" Jay bit the inside of his cheek anxiously. "_Never_." _Why would I when I'm walking right next to an intergalactic, wanted, _fugitive_, in a black market? _Jay tried to calm himself, closing his eye and taking a deep breath.

Cole's smile faltered. It was clear to him that Jay was lying. Of course, though, why wouldn't he? Considering that the two of them had just met and the presence of a wanted criminal could put off an intimidating vibe.

Aside from the eyepatch Jay was wearing, something else had peaked his interest when he was scrolling through the files earlier. The pirate wasn't a wanted man. But what kind of a person who "followed the rules to an extent" would break in the same night he wanted to steal the Yin Blade?

He decided to switch topics. "So your eye… _patch_. Is it just for the look, or did something really happen to it?"

Jay looked down, wondering why Cole would even _try_ to start a conversation with him. "It's a little bit of both," he answered truthfully.

Cole took note of that. "And your cape?"

A smile tickled Jay's face. Maybe he was enjoying this. "What _about_ my cape?"

Cole shrugged. "Well, don't you think it's a little _unnecessary_?"

"I think it's pretty cool." A lightbulb went off in Jay's head. "You can't say you didn't like it either. Besides, _you_ were wearing it."

"That's fair," Cole noted as they neared the end of the alley. "Ronin's Pawn Shop?" Cole muttered softly, reading the large wooden sign above the door as the two of them entered the store.

"This guy has a _lot_ of great things. Trust me," Jay assured him, shutting the door behind them.

Cole watched as Jay ran past him, up to the counter. He waited there anxiously, tapping his foot against the floor.

The fugitive bothered not to wait up front with Jay for this Ronin guy. Instead, he wandered around the tiny store, picking up random artifacts and treasures to his liking.

At the counter, Jay spotted Ronin coming out from the back. The man spun around and dropped a large box onto the table, shocked to see Jay's familiar face inside his store.

"Jay! Hang on, Jay? Back so soon already?"

The space pirate shook his head, leaning in close. "Have you heard anything from Pixal?"

"Pixal?"

"I'm guessing that's a no."

"What's going on? You in a tight spot or something?"

The pirate drummed his fingers on the counter, his shoulders hunched. "Well…"

Ronin then quirked his lips, propping up an elbow. He chuckled softly and pointed a finger behind Jay. "Hey, uh, your buddy over there, you might want to tell him that you gotta pay to take an item."

Jay wrinkled his nose and looked over his shoulder, yelping when he saw a pile of gizmos in Cole's arms. He rushed towards Cole with his arms out, picking things off of his pile. "What are you _doing_?"

"I was going to pay for those."

Jay scoffed, placing the items back on the shelf carefully. "No you weren't. You can't pay for anything here unless you got something Ronin _really_ wants."

Cole grimaced as his pile slowly diminished. When he was finished, he grabbed Cole by the wrist, dragging him to the back of the store where Ronin currently stood.

"Ronin, watch him for me? Thanks." He shoved Cole towards the con-artist and scurried away without another word.

Between shelves, Jay sank down to the floor, pulling out his comm. The device cast a bright light and Jay winced the second it turned on right in his face. Squinting, he searched for Pixal's linked comm and sent a transmission.

_Found Cole._

_Don't bring the ship._

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Jay flew forward, tucking his comm away into his pocket and peering around the shelf to where he had left Cole and Ronin together. Except now, Cole was bent over and pinned to the table, the side of his face firmly against the flat surface as Ronin stood over him, holding the criminal's hands behind his back tightly.

Jay stood up from behind the shelf, throwing his hands up in the air defensively.

He panicked. "Ronin… I… what are you _doing_?"

The man tossed his comm onto the table and it slid up to Jay, projecting a hologram of a WANTED poster with Cole's face on it.

"40 billion units…" Jay said in a hushed whisper, looking between the poster and Cole. "Ronin, you can't-"

"Sorry, Jay, but your friend here is worth a pretty darn good bounty."


	4. I've Got a Dream

**Phew! This was a long one. I've decided that updates will be every Friday!**

**Man, reading this chapter and you're going to find a LOT of inspiration was drawn from Tangled!**

* * *

Jay stared at the WANTED poster, a knot forming in his stomach.

40 billion units.

_40 billion units_.

While it wasn't significantly a larger sum of money than what Nya and Kai had offered him, he was still deeply infuriated. Had they not trusted him enough to handle Cole that they put up WANTED posters?

Cole was _his_. His eye darkened suddenly. "Let him go, Ronin."

The man laughed, shaking his head. He curled his hands tighter around Cole's wrists. "I can't do that, Jay."

Beneath him, Cole squirmed. He lifted his head, looking for Jay. The pirate had his back against the shelf, lost in the confusion. With a grunt, Cole cut his leg through the air behind him and aimed for Ronin's crotch. The man behind him let go within seconds and he stumbled backwards, growling.

Cole stood up quickly, running a hand through his hair, looking over his shoulder at Jay and flashing him a cocky smile. Then he winked.

And Jay couldn't help it if his heart skipped a beat suddenly. He turned his head, sheepishly hiding a grin as his head tried to rail back its focus to the current situation they were tied up in.

"Why you little-" Ronin started, reaching behind his hip and pulling out a blaster.

The criminal raised a brow, slowly turning his attention to Ronin. His grey eyes fell on the blaster and he frowned, hands on his hip. "I think a gun in a fist fight is pretty unfair, don't you?"

Cole dove for Ronin's legs and knocked his off balance. The man fell to a knee, still holding onto the gun.

He raised his head, aiming for Cole again. The thief dodged with ease and reached for the nearest tool he could use against him. He picked up a stick and a wide, circular, steel plate. Suddenly, he lunged at Ronin, shielding himself using the plate as he knocked the blaster out of his hands. It landed on the floor and swerved across the ground till it hit the wall. Cole instantly dropped the plate and got to his feet, running for the blaster.

However the breath was knocked out of him when Ronin grabbed him by the ankle and forcefully pulled him to the floor. The thief fell to the ground with a grunt, still wielding the stick. He reeled his arm back and threw, sending the stick flying at Ronin's back.

He gritted his teeth, furiated and unphased, and crouched down to pick up the blaster.

Cole gasped and rolled to the side, hitting the shelf.

Jay squeaked, taking one step forward instinctively. "Ronin, let's just talk this out? You know, _without_ fighting?"

The con artist craned his neck, squinting at Jay. "You seriously want to _talk_? This criminal is worth 40 billion units! Do you know how much money that is?"

The pirate bit his lip, shrugging. He couldn't reveal it then but what Nya and Kai had offered him was _much_ more than 40 billion.

From the floor, Cole grunted, getting on his feet. He looked Jay dead in the eye. "I don't need your help. I got this."

Caught off guard, Ronin had charged into Cole, ramming him into the shelf. It swayed, toppling over and collapsing on top of him. The dozens of loot that cluttered the shelf crashed onto the floor, most of them shattering around him.

Amongst the dust, Cole coughed, crawling onto his elbows.

Jay's eye swept the store for anything that could act as a weapon against Ronin as the man dusted himself off and stood over Cole, cocking the gun in his hand.

"The poster didn't specify whether or not they wanted you dead or alive," Ronin raised the gun between his eyes. "So we're going to do it my way."

Jay's heart raced. He never acted so fast in his life. Retrieving the stick Cole had thrown at Ronin earlier, he swung as hard as he could at the back of Ronin's head.

And the man fell almost instantaneously, completely unconscious.

Cole stared at Ronin, eyes wide. He looked as Jay came rushing, hooking his fingers under one end of the shelf and raising it barely enough for Cole to slip out.

Beneath him, Cole rolled, a hand landing over his stomach. He knitted his eyebrows together, glaring at the pirate. Jay could sense that something had gotten on the thief's nerves.

"Are you okay?" Was the first thing to come out of Jay's mouth.

Cole groaned, closing his eyes. "I said I could handle it."

Jay fell down into a squat, leaning over Cole upside down. "It doesn't hurt to ask for help, you know." He pursed his lips, backing away as Cole sat up so as to not bump heads. "You're welcome," he said quietly as Cole stretched his arms.

He frowned when Cole said nothing back. Just minutes ago the two of them were striking up a conversation. Literally seconds ago, he had saved his life. And now? Now Cole just wasn't having any of it. Jay stood up as did Cole, and he shook his cape for any dirt. Cole snatched the gun out of Ronin's limp hands, slipping it between his belt and waist.

"I guess you couldn't get your comm fixed?" He asked, staring Jay down from the corner of his eyes.

The space pirate tensed. He almost forgot about that.

He had already got word out to Pixal - hopefully she read it - updating her on his current status. Now what? He didn't want to take Cole back to his ship, did he? Or… just not yet. He needed to gain a little more trust first. If not, _all_ his trust.

Jay kicked at the air, hands behind his back as he thought of their next move.

Cole cleared his throat, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder at the exit door. He knew just where to go. His _favorite_ spot in this part of the City. "There's a bar down the street. We can wait there?"

"A bar?"

Jay's stomach began to feel a little queasy. He had never been to a bar before, let alone drink.

Cole stared down the pirate. "You don't sound very comfortable with the idea. We don't have to go if you don't want to. You _are_ the Captain."

Jay felt a lump in his throat. There it was again. _Captain_. Gosh, why did he get so worked up over that name? Nonetheless, he'd be fine if they went. Besides, it was just a bar.

He stumbled forward, clearing his throat loudly to gain attention. "No, no, we should _definitely_ go. But don't you think it's a little risky for you to be out there when there are _WANTED _posters of you all over the City?"

Though the thief was somewhat welcomed there, he thought to entertain the space pirate. He searched the wreck of a store, then bent down to dust off a cap. "I'll wear this."

A snort. "You're going to disguise yourself using a cap? Even _I _can tell it's you."

Cole fancied the hat on his head, striking a couple of poses for fun. "Do I look good?"

Jay's face flushed and he looked away. "Sure," he squeaked at the floor.

It was one thing to admire such a criminal with excessive skills, but it was another to be falling in love with him and his flirtatious attitude.

After a few minutes of contemplating, he started for the door. "Um, we should probably go. Before Ronin wakes up."

* * *

Jay said he was certain that Skylor was on their side. After all, the pirate had done everything he could to fill her in on his plan. Unfortunately, since his plan backfired, Skylor's plans changed.

When the cop had found Pixal alone inside the museum, she instructed her squad to investigate the scene, searching for any clues or traces that could lead them to Jay, or even better, Cole.

The newbie on Skylor's squad went up to her as they prepared to head back. He held Pixal beside him in handcuffs.

"I assume we are taking her back to be questioned?"

Skylor shook her head. "Actually, I've gotten different orders now. Chief Garmadon wants Pixal back at his station."

"Whatever for?"

"He said he's got a plan to catch our rogue, but he needs Pixal for it to work." Skylor directed her squad to their ship. "Take her inside, Zane."

The man - Zane - nodded. "Yes ma'am." He said and took her aboard the ship, sitting her down on one of the benches. He took a seat next to her, sitting up tall. He took out his comm and searched for her profile. When he found one that matched, he held out a hand.

"Pixal, is it?"

She stared at Zane's hand quietly.

When she did not take it, Zane pulled away. "Sorry. Is it illegal to interact with the culprit? I am quite new and did not have the time to process such things."

Pixal held back a smile. It was just like looking into a mirror. He sounded just like her when she was first brought into the world.

So, she figured she was being impolite by not responding, and she held out her hands, opening one. "Maybe. But I am not so much the culprit you are searching for."

* * *

After the long ride back, Pixal found herself inside of an interrogation room, facing an empty chair.

She didn't have to wait another second as the door opened and Garmadon walked in, his intern following closely behind. The commander sat down in front of Pixal holding a device which contained any files on her, while his intern fled to a dark corner, crossing her arms and locking her eyes on Pixal.

"I don't believe this was in the agenda," Pixal said first.

From the other end, Garmadon opened her file. "We believe Jay was taken as a prisoner by Cole-"

"I thought that was fairly obvious," Pixal remarked.

"- we're doing all we can to see where he might have been taken to. As of now, my detectives have put up WANTED posters in hopes that anyone has seen him."

"And?" Pixal pressed.

Garmdon furrowed his brows. "What do you mean 'and'?"

"If someone reveals Cole's location, and suppose Jay is with him, then what? You and I both know he is not an easy catch."

"I am well aware of that."

"Then, why am I here?"

"Because," came Harumi's voice from the shadows, "I've devised a plan." She kicked herself off the wall, sauntering up to the two of them. She laid her palms flat against the table, a malicious grin weaving its way across her face.

"We're going to use Jay to track down Cole," she began.

Garmadon nodded. "Which is where you are going to help us. Obviously you knew that comms have a built in tracker. We are going to use your comm to link it with Jay's and follow him."

Pixal wrinkled her nose. She didn't like the sound of this. "And if I refuse?"

Harumi turned to Garmadon, voice soft and innocent. "Chief, do you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?" Per requested, the Chief left the room.

The young intern slid into the now empty chair, looking at Pixal with big eyes. "That's the thing about my plan," Harumi cooed, "You _can't_ refuse. Chief Garmadon has given me _full_ authority over this plan. And I don't know about you, but I for one would _love _to finally bring Cole to his knees. Wouldn't you?"

Pixal took a deep breath. Her heart beat fast as the intern stood up from the chair, looming over her.

"And since Chief Garmadon has given me full authority, I can use whatever I want to set my plan into motion." Her hand snaked upwards to the necklace around her neck, caressing her fingers gently over a small gemstone, aquamarine, and sharp edged. "This darling was cut from the staff of a Hypnobrai. It's just as powerful alone as the staff is altogether. So, we can do this the hard way, or we can do this the easy way."

She leaned forward till she and Pixal were nose to nose.

"The hard way is I use this to get you to do whatever I want you to. The easy way," Harumi giggled. She smiled innocently. "Well, you know what that is!"

* * *

Cole held open the door for Jay, his stomach fluttering as the space pirate walked past him. Cole squirmed, an uneasy feeling settling over him. He knew what those feelings were, but he chose to ignore them. Besides, how could he already be interested in someone he just met?

Maybe it was just because he hadn't been around other people so much.

Maybe it was the freckles. Cole always had a thing for freckles.

Maybe it was the small notch in one of his eyebrows that split it into two.

Or maybe it was his nervousness and little fidgety movements whenever Cole spoke to him.

_Maybe_ it was the fact that he _did_ need help back at Ronin's Pawn Shop. But Cole didn't _like_ help. He didn't trust being around other people. Yet, here he was with Jay.

Although something still hadn't quite added up when Cole found Jay that night at the museum. A space pirate who liked to follow the rules (to an extent) breaking into the museum at nighttime to steal the Yin Blade, he kept repeating to himself, just didn't cross his mind as something believable and true.

He followed Jay inside, tipping his hat down ever so slightly to cover his face. His eyes moved side to side, taking note of the kinds of people that were seated inside.

He led Jay to the front bar, propping an arm up. "Two of your finest, please."

Before the man behind the bar could move, Jay reached out, a small, shy, smile crossing his freckled face. "Actually, do you have grape juice or something?" He acknowledged Cole's curious eyes. "Don't judge me," he joked, though a hint of seriousness in his tone.

Cole hung his head, laughing quietly. "No, no… grape juice?"

"I don't drink," Jay deadpanned.

The man came back within minutes, handing them their respective drinks as per requested. Jay pinched the straw between his fingers, stirring the ice in his drink slowly.

"I see," Cole noted, taking a swig of his beverage. He took off his hat, any thought of being spotted going right out the other side of his head. Jay seemed to say nothing of it too, instead only continuing to stir his drink in his hands. "So, Captain, how old are you?" He remarked.

Jay gasped, setting down his glass. He folded his arms across his chest, pouting. "How _rude_ to address your Captain as a _child_!"

Cole chuckled to himself, cocking his head. His laughter slowly faded as his eyes spotted movement towards them. Jay rose a suspicious brow, looking over his shoulder.

A big man with a thick mustache and beard, all dressed in black with accents of gunmetal grey, walked up to him, shoving past Jay. He held up a projected hologram of the WANTED poster. "This is you?" He bellowed, looking from the picture on the poster to Cole.

The fugitive leaned closer to the hologram, squinting as if to look at it closer.

After a minute he threw his arms up into the air and sat back, smirking back at the man.

"I've gotta say, while that _isn't_ me, he sure is pretty handsome. Don't you think- woah!" Cole jumped out of his barstool, his chest rising. The man had slammed a giant fist on the table, shaking everything within its radius.

"Karloff thinks you are lying." He spoke, leaving the hologram on the table.

Cole took a couple steps back as the man - Karloff - took a couple steps forward. He held his arms out in front of him defensively. "C'mon. I already had some guy on my back earlier, do we have to do this again?" His breath hitched when his back ran into something.

Whoever he had run into, they gripped him by the forearms, grinning. "Oh, Sweetie, nobody's going to pass _you_ up. You're worth a lot of money, don't _you_ know?"

Within seconds a crowd had gathered around him. People were shouting over each other as Cole stoof in the very center of it all.

"The bounty belongs to Karloff, UV. Karloff found him first!" The man who had come up to him earlier said to his captive. Cole turned his head to the hunter behind him, who was supposedly named UV.

The lady snickered, shoving Cole behind her and pounced at Karloff.

"Likely story!"

As the crowd began to fight each other over who got to turn in Cole for the bounty, said criminal had seen this as an opportunity and ran through amidst the chaos. He raced by Jay and yanked him by the hand (who nearly fell off the chair with a loud "Woah!"), sprinting for the door.

The space pirate yelped as he was dragged along forcefully by Cole into a back alley, leaving behind a giant bar fight.

They waited there, in the alleyway.

And as the two of them struggled to catch their breaths, Cole noticed his hand still holding onto Jay's. Instinctively, he pulled away, his cheeks dusting a light rose color.

If Jay had noticed, he probably would have done the same. However, the space pirate was too busy with his hands on his thighs, head down as his breath was slowly coming back to him.

"I guess," Jay heaved, leaning against the wall, "no bar then?"


	5. Do You Want a Ride?

**Please accept this chapter while I go cry about Onward's release because it's the best news since quarantine.**

* * *

_Found Cole._

_Don't bring the ship._

Pixal's comm practically _shouted_ the words at her. And Harumi saw this as an opportunity. She waved Pixal's comm in front of the android with a smile before slipping it into the confines of her pocket.

After Pixal had refused to cooperate with Harumi, the intern had no choice but to use the Hypnobrai's pendant on her. Fortunately, though, she didn't mind. After all, the only thing she was after was Cole, no matter what it took to get her there.

She turned to Pixal, who stood idly by the door. "I won't keep you under this spell for long, but I have one more set of orders to give you."

Pixal nodded. "Yes, Harumi?"

"You'll forget _any_ of this happened." She led Pixal out the door, "I'll be updating you on Jay's coordinates. I want you to pick him up and then bring him back _here_."

* * *

From the alleyway, Jay and Cole continued their journey on foot. It didn't come as a surprise to Jay when Cole realized he had left the hat back in the bar. Before the two of them had even arrived at the bar, Cole seemed displeased by the hat's presence when it was on his head. Taking it off was probably for the best.

For now, the two of them only rode on the luck that neither of them would be noticed, or get caught or stopped.

Cole, for being wanted all over the City and the galaxy.

And Jay for harboring an intergalactic thief. However, in his defense, it was only because of his deal with Kai and Nya. Then again, he was surprised he managed to even rope Cole in, unlike everyone else who fell unlucky at the last second.

How Jay wished he had his ship at a time like this.

And at this point, he wasn't sure _what_ he and Cole were doing. He had gotten word out to Pixal. He lied to Cole about his comm being broken. But the first chance he got to "fix it" had been robbed by Ronin's faulty act of trying to bag Cole and turn him in, which ultimately meant that Cole still believed Jay's comm was dead. Which also meant that, in Cole's eyes, they couldn't get to Jay's ship.

Jay took a deep breath, letting his previously tensed muscles relax.

"Can I ask you something?" He heard Cole huff suddenly, eyes on his feet as they dragged him down the sidewalk. "What's so great about playing by the rules?"

The space pirate quirked a brow. The question seemed to leave a bad taste in Cole's mouth as his entire face wreaked of disgust.

While Jay wasn't quite sure if he even _wanted_ to answer the question in the first place, partly because it sounded like it could also be rhetorical, he gave one anyways. "Well… you don't get caught, that's one."

Cole scoffed.

"I guess it just makes you feel like, I dunno, the good guy?"

It was at that which Cole stepped to the side, eyeing Jay closely. "The _good guy_?"

Jay shivered at the tone of his voice. Bitter and cold, but also… _hurt_.

"I- I'm not saying you're the _bad guy_," he defended, cursing at himself for a poor choice of words. Then again, Cole was the bad guy in this scenario. Wasn't he?

"_I'm_ not the bad guy?" Cole held up a hand, listing off the things he was as he counted them on his fingers. "I'm a thief, a criminal, a wanted man. I like to _steal things_. I break the rules and you-" he gestured at the pirate, "you _don't_."

Well, he was right about that. "But that doesn't make you _bad_, does it?"

Cole grimaced at him, turning away and quickly picking up the pace, walking ahead of him.

Jay felt something bubble in his chest. He curled his fists, stomping after Cole. "Hey! That's- you can't just walk away from me!"

The thief hunched his shoulders, turning his head.

"It's not my fault you've made yourself out to be the bad guy here!"

Cole stopped. He gaped.

"Well, why am I hanging around you anyways?" Cole cried out, waving his arms around in the air, "I work alone, gah!"

As Cole sped up, Jay only grew more infuriated.

You're doing this for the money, he reminded himself.

So what if Cole was stubborn? It didn't matter so long as Jay delivered him to Chief Garmadon.

He stopped, frowned at Cole as the thief continued to walk, waiting for him to reach the opening of another alley, then charged at him, shoving the fugitive into the alley way.

Cole growled, trying to pry Jay off of him, but to his surprise, the little space pirate was incredibly determined, pinning him down with a hidden strength.

"Why do you steal then? Huh?" Jay snapped, looking him dead in the eyes. Cole stopped squirming, taken aback by how furious Jay was. The once, shy, small, energetic ball of what made up Jay was now deadly and ferocious. Kind of all over the place, like lightning. Cole cracked a tiny smile up at him. He could see it. _Lightning_. In Jay's eyes. In his spirit. On the pin, even, on his uniform.

The deadly sparks in his eye quickly faded when Cole broke into laughter. Jay blinked once, loosening his grip around Cole's forearms. "What- What is it?" He scrambled off of him with haste, leaning back on his hands. "Was I too rough? Please tell me that's just a funny laugh, not a "that hurt and I'm in so much pain but I can laugh through it" kind of -"

"I'm _fine_," Cole assured him, sitting up. He cocked his head at Jay, somewhat touched by his concerns. "I just, I did _not_ expect that from you. You're a feisty, little, Captain, aren't you?"

Jay stared at him.

"You jumped me from behind and threw me against the ground?"

The space pirate rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess? Yeah?"

"What are you? Some kind of ninja?"

Jay rolled his eyes playfully.

Cole shuffled backwards against the wall, pulling his knees into criss-cross formation. He turned to Jay, beckoning him to come closer. As Jay crawled towards him, Cole locked eyes with the concrete. "I guess… I owe you an answer to that, huh? Why I steal?"

"That was just-" Jay started, finding the fault in his actions, "I wasn't- you don't have to-"

"_Someone_ deserves to know."

"When I was little, my dad wanted me to become a performer. I liked dancing and singing, but I didn't like _performing_. I don't know what it was, but my dad didn't get that. And my mom wasn't there." Cole's voice cracked then, "I was placed under strict house rules. I always had this invisible pressure to be _perfect_, because if I wasn't willing to become a performer when I grew up, my dad at least wanted perfection out of his only son."

Cole sighed, dropping his head back against the building.

"So, when I was 10, going on 11, I discovered a little thing called _pick pocketing_." He lifted his hand to reveal Jay's "broken" comm. "I know you lied about your comm being broken."

Flustered and embarrassed, Jay reached for it. "Hey, that's-" He puffed out his cheeks, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"I figured, I could live off of it. Pick pocketing. Stealing people's wallets, food," he smirked, "_hearts_. I could live on my own, and run away. And I did. And I felt free. I picked up skills along the way. Such as how to tell if someone was lying," he gave Jay a knowing smile, "stealth, parkour, anything, you name it. But I made it a decision when I vowed never to follow the rules ever again."

Jay wrinkled his nose. "But why work alone?"

Cole raised a brow. "The honest version? I never had any good relationships growing up. _My_ version? You can get a lot of things done faster when you're on your own."

"You _really_ think that?"

"It's worked for me for so long, course I do."

Then Jay felt a sinking feeling down in his stomach. Cole didn't know about Nya and Kai. He didn't know Jay was planning on turning him in. To share his story must have meant that Jay, _he_, was something special in Cole's eyes.

But that was his _plan_, wasn't it?

Gain Cole's trust so as to raise zero suspicions.

The only problem was that something didn't feel right.

It felt like he was gaining more than his trust.

Jay's stomach fluttered. His heart ached.

He wanted it to stop.

"I was adopted," he blurted.

Cole perked his head.

"It's only fair I tell you my story too, right?"

* * *

"Have any of you guys heard from Rumi?" Lloyd asked, the second he opened the door. His eyes shifted from Nya to Kai, then back again.

Kai swung his feet off the table, jabbing a finger at Lloyd's chest. "Um, other than the fact that _your_ _dad_ put _her_ in charge? No!"

Lloyd stepped back and threw his hands up defensively. "I know what he did… but I think Rumi actually stands a chance. Besides, what were the odds that the space pirate you hired was actually going to turn Cole in?"

From a chair, Nya rolled her eyes and groaned. "Seriously? Not this again."

"No one's doubting your choices, Nya. We just have our _reservations_."

"Oh, come on! We're _all_ doubting her choices!" Kai grabbed his ice coffee from the table and left, slamming the door on the way out.

Nya winced at the sound, setting her chin in her hands. "Someone's moody."

"If it helps," Lloyd started as he pulled up a chair to sit across from the detective, "I think your plan was a good idea. More than Kai."

The detective sighed, but gave a small smile.

"Was there something from Harumi that you needed?" She asked, switching the subject.

"No, not exactly," Lloyd looked to the floor, "I just think my dad made the wrong decision to let her handle this case."

"Duh, she's a paid-intern."

Lloyd scoffed. "That's not even it! Rumi's always had different methods and ways of getting around things. Something doesn't feel right."

"I thought you two were friends."

Lloyd snickered. "No, she secretly hates my _guts_."

"But the nickname? Rumi?"

"I call her that just to get on her nerves."

"Man! You jerk!" Nya punched Lloyd in the shoulder and he burst into laughter. "Then, I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on her."

* * *

Pixal couldn't remember _anything_ the second she sat down behind the wheel. J-Bot rolled up to her, questioning her next intentions with small noises.

The android shut her eyes painfully, trying to recall what she was doing here in the first place.

And Jay? Where was Jay?

Her eyes swept around the main bridge of the ship finding it deserted and with no traces of Jay.

It wasn't until she felt something itch in her pocket that she reached down to pull out a broken earpiece.

Images flashed within her head. Pictures recalling Jay. A deal. And that Jay was taken by Cole.

Suddenly, the monitor beeped loudly. "Hello?" She spoke into the speakers, trying to connect to whomever was on the other end.

_Pixal? Oh, Pixal! It's you!_ The voice on the other end cheered gleefully. Pixal squinted at the speaker. Who was this stranger? And how did they know her name?

_It's me, Harumi._

Right… Harumi… that name rang a familiar bell.

_I'm sending you Jay's coordinates. But it looks like he's on the move. I'll update you as he goes. You remember what to do, right?_

Pixal paused briefly. What _was_ she supposed to do?

She was supposed to find him and bring him back to Chief Garmadon's base.

* * *

From the alley, Jay dragged Cole into a costume shop, forcing him to change into something more casual and less identifiable.

While Jay was focused solely on finding Cole something new to wear, the thief's head was still stuck on Jay's heck of a story. From being orphaned, to becoming adopted, to learning about his real parents but wanting _nothing_ to do with them. Then how he got here, as a space pirate.

The pirate was everything Cole could have been if he had tried.

Jay was admirable. He was, not only kind, but someone he could trust. Sure, the pirate might have lied about his comm, and maybe lied about _why_ he was following Cole in the museum (that was since Cole was still skeptical about the whole thing), but people lie, right? It was human nature. And for sure it was a common flaw in relationships… from what he could gather. But it wasn't necessarily always a bad thing.

"So what do you think of this?"

Cole poked his head out from behind a rack and glanced at Jay.

The space pirate held up an ashen grey jacket and a simple blue tee. It didn't look much of a disguise, that was for sure. Cole folded his arms across his chest and walked towards him, giving the clothes a onceover.

"Maybe we can do something about the hair?"

Cole's brows shot up like a rocket, his hands instinctively diving for his hair.

"What?"

Jay pursed his lips, hanging the clothes and stepping around to pry Cole's hands off his hair and pull his dark hair back into a ponytail.

He leaned to the side, searching for eye contact. "I was just thinking you could tie it back? Like this?"

All too soon, Cole pulled away from him, his hair falling back down into its rightful place where gravity kept it.

"No. A hundred times _no_."

"But you're so recognizable with it down!"

"And I'd rather sacrifice _that_ than pulling my _hair_ up into a bun or whatever."

Cole gritted his teeth together, picking the clothes Jay had found for him off the rack. "I'll wear these, but I won't tie my hair."

"It doesn't work that way."

"What do you _mean_ it doesn't work that way?"

"It-" Jay gaped, staring out the store's front windows. "Oh… no…"

Cole crossed his arms, unphased. "Oh no?"

It crossed Jay's mind that Cole was standing beside him when he ran out of the costume shop, eyes wide as the hangar doors of his ship opened with a loud _hiss_. He backed away, slowly, heart beating loudly.

Pixal was here?

Pixal was _here_?

_Why_ was she _here_?

The message he had relayed to her _specifically _stated for her _not_ to pick them up. This was going against Captain's orders.

The door was fully open now and Jay stiffened, watching as Pixal scampered down the ramp and tackled him into a big hug. Jay regained his balance, pivoting a foot backwards and returning the hug.

In a way, he was kinda relieved to see Pixal.

A familiar face at the least, after all _this_.

"Hey, Pix," he cheekily grinned as she let go of him.

"Jay," she returned his smile, "Are you alright? Are you hurt? J-Bot can take care of any injuries if you are. Did Cole hurt you?"

The space pirate laughed awkwardly, pulling away from her gently. "Pix, I'm fine!"

"You… are?"

Although touched by Pixal's concerns, he was still furious to see she had went against his orders. "Doesn't matter." Jay shook his head. "Why are you _here_? Didn't you get my message? I _told_ you not to come!"

Pixal opened her mouth to speak but was delightfully interrupted by another.

"A _ship_?"

Jay bounced on his toes, shocked to hear Cole's voice. And for Pixal, it was the same. Jay spun around fast, standing in front of Pixal as if to hold her back from doing anything stupid.

"Yes! Uh, _yeah_. It's my ship." He cleared his throat, shooing Pixal inside. "You asked, here it is!"

However, his gaze softened when he spotted Cole standing in awe of Jay's moving base. He had never seen Cole so entranced, so much like a _child_.

He wanted to savor the moment. Wanted to make it last forever. Instead, he held out his hand to Cole.

"You wanna go for a ride?"


	6. Fine, Now I'm the Bad Guy

**Oh goodness... Steven Universe ends today ;-;**

**Well! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's a bit of a ride towards the end :D And hey, who's watching Prime Empire?**

* * *

Cole couldn't believe his eyes when he came aboard Jay's ship.

The first thing he laid eyes on was the record player sitting in a faraway corner. The thing looked old and untouched for ages. Cole couldn't help but wonder why Jay had one on his ship if he barely got around to using it. Let alone if he had any old discs.

The second thing he noticed were the trinket's all over a work table to his right. Tools scattered on the floor and amongst the table told Cole that Jay also loved to dabble in mechanics. Hence, if Jay's comm _was_ broken, he could have fixed it himself.

The _last_ thing he noticed was the mess. Yes, Jay's ship was a complete and utter _mess_. The floor was not only cluttered with tools, but loose papers, coupons, and…

"This is…" Cole bent down to pick up the first article he ever made, back when the news _wasn't_ always broadcasted through the digital world. "This is from my first heist."

Jay's breath hitched when Cole turned around, waving the paper in front of him.

"Ye_ah_ it is!" Jay grabbed the paper from his hands, hiding it behind his back with a nervous grin. "Who'da thunk, right?"

A scowl graced Cole's face and he reached an arm around Jay, clawing for the paper.

"Woah! Hey- stop it!" He jumped backwards, holding the paper at an arm's length behind him.

"Why do you have that?"

"I, uh…" Jay searched the ship for answers but was left with nothing. He did, however, spot Pixal slipping behind the wheel and begin to take off. Jay flashed Cole a toothy smile, tucking the paper into the back of his uniform, under the cape.

As the ship took flight, J-Bot rolled up to them, ramming into Cole's leg and sparking. The criminal dropped his gaze and stared at the little robot with immense curiosity.

"Oh! Look!" Jay got down on his knees and welcomed the little robot with open arms as it rolled into his arms. "This is J-Bot."

"Jay Bot?"

"J-Bot."

"What is it?"

The pirate popped open the back panel, looking for any loose wires and whatnot. "Well, he was kinda designed to be my friend." He shut the panel and gave his friend a hearty pat on the back, sending him off. "I keep him around because, well, because he was my first successful invention. And my friend."

Cole stepped to the side, eyes following J-Bot as he traveled all over the main room of the ship. The little bot wheeled up and down, from Pixal then back to him.

He had to admit, he was impressed by Jay's ability to build things from nothing but scrap metal and his hands.

"So you like to build, huh?"

Jay's head snapped upwards and he jumped onto his feet, nodding like a happy child. "I also dabble a little in model building, poetry, cooking." He cleared his throat, blushing, "Not to brag or anything."

Cole smiled at him. He wouldn't mind being entertained by Jay's poetry and cooking skills. Then again, he wouldn't mind being entertained by Jay alone. Thoughts of the two of them, just the two of them, fluttered back into Cole's head like a song on repeat. He sucked inwardly, trying to shoo away the thoughts in his head.

Another loud noise. Cole turned to Jay. "Anyways, uh. Since we're here, you wouldn't mind a tour, would you?"

He shook his head. "Lead the way, Cap'n."

* * *

Harumi frowned at the screen.

Jay's dot wasn't moving very fast.

At least Pixal had managed to find them and hitch them a ride.

Sure Cole hadn't been able to successfully nap the Yin blade, but had he not noticed that another item of such value had been put up on the market?

Harumi had been eyeing them for _months_, formulating a plan.

They were the Oni Masks. _All three_ of them.

The Oni Masks alone held great power. A power Harumi could use to bring all other criminals and injustices in the stars to its knees. Cole included.

Although it was true she wanted to see Cole on his knees and suffer the dire consequences, she needed him just as much. She couldn't steal the Oni Masks on her own. For one, it would definitely raise suspicion, but the bigger advantage was getting a master thief to steal it for her.

"Rumi, what's the status on Cole?" Chief Garmadon asked from his desk.

Harumi held out Pixal's comm to him. "She's found them, but they're hardly moving."

"This is ridiculous." Garmadon put his hands on the desk and stood up from his chair, spotting Kai moseying along. "Kai, see if you and Nya can get a hold of Jay. If we wait any longer, I might just think Jay is _helping_ him to escape."

He pinched the bridge between his eyes, letting out a long sigh.

Outside, Rumi agreed, but inside, she knew without a doubt that the three of them were going to be here eventually. No one but her knew about the Hypnobrai pendant around her neck. No one was aware she even _used_ it on Pixal.

How she wished everyone would simply just _trust_ her, though. Garmadon left her in charge of this mission. Garmadon gave her authority.

And if she was right about one thing, then Pixal's clear orders to find Jay and bring the two back here couldn't be more clear.

But if Chief Garmadon found out she used something like _that_, she wouldn't hear the end of it. Then again, she needed to hold onto it in case Cole refused to cooperate by the time he got here.

Her eyes flickered to Garmadon.

"Sir, may I speak with you in private?"

Chief Garmadon let go and turned to her. "Of course, Harumi."

* * *

"And this is my room!" Jay thrust the door open, throwing his arms out in front of him as to direct Cole's attention to his room.

Needless to say, it was a mess.

Though, Jay hadn't really thought about that before showing Cole his quarters.

Jay kicked a pillow off the floor, tying his hands behind his back. "Um, haha, I was _not_ expecting company."

Cole laughed quietly.

The pirate watched silently as Cole strode past him, his eyes all over the place.

It was a small room. Cozy and endearing.

There was a teddy bear on the bed. It made Cole laugh.

Jay's eye followed Cole's attention to the toy on his bed. He chuckled. "That's, er," he coughed, "Mr. Cuddlywhumps."

"Are you afraid of the dark or something?"

Jay pursed his lips. "Hmmm..."

The thief waved it off. In fact, it was kinda adorable.

To his right there was a closet, and to his left a charging station for J-Bot. And above that, a couple pictures of Jay in different ages. And some of him and Pixal.

The strangest thing about it, was that Jay wore his eyepatch in every single photo of him. _Every single one_.

_Is it just for the look, or did something really happen to it?_

_It's a little bit of both_.

He remembered Jay saying.

"Ugh, I should really start keeping my room clean more often. I wonder why J-Bot didn't think to tidy any of this up while I was gone," Jay groaned from the floor behind Cole.

"I mean, you would _think_ a little service droid would clean up for you, right?" He laughed, chucking some socks under his bed. "You know, I was a little hesitant about showing you my room earlier. I dunno, it's just, there's something unsettling about letting a master criminal into your, practically _home_… but, you don't seem like a _bad guy_. Well, not anymore…"

Jay shut his mouth, worried about how far his rambling would take him.

"But here we are! Ha… ha…" Jay cleared his throat, looking down to the floor to hide his face.

Yet Cole, Cole still could not get over simply being here. Jay's room was everything compared to what he had.

Cole was out and about _constantly_. True, he had a place for everything he stole, but a place for himself? He never once stayed the same night in one place. It was absurd. But being here, he wished he _could_ stay. He wished he could stop running. No, he wished he _could_ keep running...

His eyes flickered to the space pirate who was frantically cleaning the space.

He wished he could keep running with Jay.

Cole froze.

No he didn't… did he?

His hands shook as he turned around to face Jay slowly. "Um, I gotta…" He stumbled backwards into the wall, face flush with embarrassment.

Jay looked up at him from the floor, worried as Cole started for the door. "You okay?"

"Fine. Uh, will you excuse me for a minute?"

Cole scampered down the hall, trying to recall where the bathroom was. He turned left and right, opened every door until he came upon the right one. Relieved, he slipped into the bathroom and locked the door. Hands on the edge of the counter, he looked at his reflection in the mirror with sad eyes.

"You _can't_ be in love with Jay," he started, clenching his fists. "It's ridiculous! I'm a thief. I can't fall in love? I work alone, I- I've never been with someone else before."

He was _scared_. Terrified even.

His stomach ached in a way it had never before.

The sounds around him had become more distant.

"Argh, what am I supposed to do with these feelings? Do I tell him?" He lifted his head, staring dead into his eyes. "I'm so confused, I'm so _lost_, I'm-"

His head was reeling and to top it off, worst of all, he could _hear_ his heart pounding. It was loud, and annoying, and reckless, and… and _loud_!

With a heavy sigh, he threw his back against the door and slid down onto the cold floor.

These thoughts, they wouldn't leave him no matter how hard he tried.

But a part of him didn't want them to stop.

Maybe all this time alone had messed up his emotions real bad. Yeah, that was what it was.

But Jay, he _wanted_ to be with Jay. All the time. For the rest of his life.

* * *

She led Chief Garmadon back into the interrogation room, locking the door.

"Harumi, what is the meaning of this?"

"Oh, nothing. I just want to be sure you won't run off and tell your son about what I'm going to say next."

Chief Garmadon cocked a brow, leaning in close.

"Harumi, what did you do?"

The intern's fingers found the jewel around her neck, caressing it softly.

"I need you to trust me," she began, "Pixal is going to be here _soon_. There's no possible way they could avoid us because I gave Pixal direct orders to pick him up and come back _here_."

"And how can you be so sure those orders won't be broken?"

"Because I used this," she lifted the jewel at Garmadon's eye level. "It's a piece of the Hypnobrai's staff. Very powerful alone."

Garmadon glared at her. "You used that on Pixal?"

Harumi screamed and stomped her foot. "She left me no choice!"

Garmadon stepped back, shocked by Harumi's childish behavior and recklessness. His eyes darkened and he held out his hand, palm open wide. "That's it. Harumi, I am stripping you of authority to lead this case. You will hand over that necklace so I can allow Lloyd to bring it in for investigation."

The intern looked from Garmadon's hand then back up at him. "I just wanted you to _trust_ me on this!"

"But not like this, Harumi. We _catch_ the bad guys, we don't _become_ them."

"You gave me full authority of this mission. Well I'm doing it exactly how I would."

Garmadon curled his fingers, desperate. "You _can't_ force people to do things for you, Harumi. There are other ways to cooperate."

The young girl dropped her gaze to the floor, holding onto her necklace tightly. For once, there was something she didn't see Chief Garmadon eye to eye on. She raised her head, rubbing the jewel around her neck with a gleam in her eyes.

"No… if we can't do this my way, then I'll _make_ you do it my way."

* * *

Jay watched with a solemn gaze as Cole disappeared from sight.

The guy was always so reserved and mysterious.

His heart sunk while he fixed himself into a sitting position and kicked back until he was against the wall, right beside J-Bot's charging station.

Was he really doing this?

Was he really going to turn Cole in?

What would they do to him?

They'd put him behind bars, that was for sure. Right?

Unless there was a much worse punishment planned for him. Heck, the guy was a master criminal, putting him in jail was far too easy.

A master criminal, which was _exactly_ why he deserved to be turned in.

Jay sucked a deep breath. But that didn't mean he couldn't change...

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head and Jay jumped to his feet gleefully. "I got it!"

J-Bot rolled in unexpectedly, tilting his head up at Jay.

"J-Bot, I've got a _great_ plan! And you gotta believe it's going to work!" Jay beamed, throwing his arms up into the air. "Not to brag but I think Cole's really into me, dontcha think? I mean, why else would he be sticking around? But that's just it! Maybe, if I try hard enough, I can get him to _quit_ stealing. It's perfect! Right?"

The little robot only beeped at him, then circled once around his feet and scampered out the door.

Jay frowned. "Well… I'm going to take that as a yes."

He tapped his chin, then swallowed, "I should… probably see how Cole's doing."

Poking his head out the door, he looked left and right for any sign of him. Of course, he was nowhere lurking around. "Maybe in the kitchen?"

So the space pirate checked the kitchen, but it was empty.

He moved from the kitchen to the workroom to Pixal's room, then party, the closet, everywhere until he finally came across the bathroom. Really, it should have been the first place he checked, but he didn't want to think it was _that_ easy.

He took a couple steps forward, knocking on the door quietly.

"Cole?" He waited, but no response. "I don't know if you're in there or not, but, not gonna lie I checked every room on this ship and I _still_ couldn't find you, so… so you better be in there. But," he licked his lips, "but, is everything okay?"

Jay took a few steps back, thinking Cole wasn't going to come out any time soon.

"Maybe I should just leave…" Jay ran a hand through his hair anxiously, looking at the door once more. "I mean, he'll come out when he comes out, right?"

Just as Jay began to leave, he heard the door open slowly. He stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder as the crack opened wider.

A smile flashed quickly across his face as he hurried back to the front of the door. "Hey, is everything alright?"

Cole looked him dead in the eyes, shaking his head.

"Was it about earlier?" Jay bit his lip, eye falling to the floor. "Look, I didn't mean it that way. You're a good guy! Really, I-"

Jay's eye flew open wide.

His head was spinning, unable to comprehend all that was happening.

Because the first thing he knew, he was talking to Cole, but the next thing and…

_Cole was kissing him._


	7. That's Very Clever

**Oh SNAP. It seriously feels like forever since I updated. Quarantine's got me all bleh.**

**This is a... long one. WHOOPS. I try to keep every chapter under 3k to 35 hundred words but I didn't realize I already passed the point.**

**While we're here, thanks for all the kinds notes. I'm glad you're all enjoying this! I haven't posted a full length fic here since I last finished Befriending the Criminal, so it's good to be back!**

* * *

All Harumi wanted was for Garmadon to trust her. Not just that, but she wanted Garmadon's approval as well. Being put in charge of this case made it a big deal for her.

Unfortunately, for the intern, the Chief disapproved, and it forced her to do the last thing she wanted. Yet she couldn't understand. She only had good intentions. She wanted the same thing Garmadon wanted. She wanted the same thing anyone around her wanted: to bring justice.

The dot on Pixal's comm was moving faster now.

"They're getting closer," Harumi noted. She turned to Nya and Kai. "Be prepared. We should be expecting them soon."

Kai bounced on his toes, a twinkle in his eyes. "You mean, we _finally_ get to put Cole in handcuffs?"

The intern shook her head with a pitiful laugh. She eyed Kai from the side, smiling. "Sure. But we're trying something new this time."

The young detective looked up from his iced coffee. Curiosity sparked within him as his eyes followed Harumi's hand when she reached inside a box to pull out two shock guns.

"_Woah_, what's this?"

She handed the mini weapons to the two of them. Kai's shoulders shot up with excitement.

"These bad boys not only increase the voltage by a quarter of its regular amount, but they also work faster than any normal form of stun gun."

Kai studied them intensively, grinning ear to ear.

"Use this on Cole and he'll be restless to fight back." Harumi drew her attention back to the comm with Jay's location on it. Her eyes darkened. "I doubt Jay will let us by."

Nya frowned, keeping her focus on the gun. Since she hired Jay, she believed that he would do the right thing and deliver Cole to them without hesitation. Unfortunately, because of Harumi, she was convinced that the space pirate had had a change of heart and had taken to helping Cole instead.

Still, though, she refused to believe it.

"I'm sorry but, I think you're wrong, Harumi."

Harumi's head snapped in her direction. A flash of disgust crossed her and Nya felt she had said the wrong thing, but it quickly disappeared when the intern put the box away with a gentle smile.

"To each their own, Nya." She looked between the two of them, "But if he _does_ stand in your way, don't be afraid to use these."

* * *

While Jay was still trying to wrap his head around things - like why Cole's hands were wrapped around his waist so firmly, yet also so gently; and why his body was meshed with Cole's as their lips locked - he knew one thing for sure: he did _not_ see this coming.

What had Cole been doing in there? And _why _had he been in there?

Most of all, what led to… to _this_?

Still, though, Jay could not fathom how real any of this was.

The moment Jay was about to give into the kiss, Cole let go, shoving him back. Their backs against the wall on opposite sides of the hall.

The freckles on Jay's cheeks had suddenly disappeared, hidden beneath his mad blushing. His face was so red, one would almost think Jay had been sunburned.

And as for Cole, while his dark complexion normally hid any blush pretty well, Jay could tell very well that the criminal was just as love-struck as he was. Jay's eye wandered to Cole's hand as the thief felt around for the bathroom doorknob.

He threw an arm out suddenly and grabbed Cole by the wrist, tugging him closer. Jay could almost feel how nervous the once overly cocky criminal was. He could see his chest falling and rising at a quickened pace. He could hear his breathing becoming heavy and uneven.

It was clear to him that Cole had never dealt with this kind of thing before.

Yet he was still in shock.

Suddenly, he couldn't tell whether he was more angry or overjoyed.

Angry that Cole had advanced on him when Jay didn't want to get more attached to the thief if his plan didn't work.

Overjoyed that Cole had advanced on him because he was in love with him.

The space pirate let go hesitantly, taking a couple steps back.

He was overwhelmed.

Cole let out an audible gasp, sensing the many mixed emotions that stirred within Jay that moment. "Jay, I-"

"You… _kissed_ me…"

Cole held his tongue, staring at the space pirate.

"No…" Jay held out an arm tentatively as he continued to back away from Cole. He shut his eye, gripping the ends of his hair in frustration. "Ugh!"

With much hesitation, Cole reached his arms out to the pirate. "Jay, please, I- I'm sorry, I just- I didn't know what to do!" His eyes searched the floor for answers. "I can fix it. I don't know how but-"

Jay's eye widened. He stared at the floor, drowning in disbelief. "_Fix it_? How are you going to _fix this_, Cole?"

"Why are you so _angry_?"

"Angry?! Angry- It's because you're so… so naive!" It hadn't even occurred to Jay that his voice had gotten higher and louder. "You're a smart guy. Or so I _thought_. For a cunning thief, you sure didn't pick up on the fact that I'm a space pirate who was _hired_ to turn you in to Chief Garmadon!"

At that moment, both Jay and Cole were standing on thin ice.

Jay's hands flew over his mouth at once as he stared at Cole with desperation. His head had been so clouded with confusion that he hadn't been watching his mouth.

As for Cole, he felt the world around him come to a slow stop.

He couldn't have been _that_ clueless. Could he?

He knew something was up when he spotted Jay following him at the museum. Why couldn't he have just left him tied to the chair to rot? Why did he have to go and get whisked away in some mindless adventure with him? _Why_ did he have to get all tangled up in _Jay_?

This was why he worked alone.

"...What?"

"Cole, I didn't mean that. I- It's not _true_. Okay?"

Jay reached out to him but Cole drew back. He tensed, his mind racing. "You weren't actually going to steal the Yin Blade, were you?"

Jay swallowed. "No. But-"

"What else wasn't true then?" Cole ran a hand through his hair, then began clawing at it. He pointed an accusing finger at him. "Were you really adopted? Were you just trying to protect me from Ronin to keep the money all for _yourself_? Do you even _like_ poetry? And, and _cooking_? And model building?"

"I do! Cole, I do." Jay lunged at him, grabbing onto his forearms and staring him dead in the eyes. "_Maybe_ I was trying to protect you from Ronin because I wanted the money. But that was before! I'm serious!"

"Get _off_ me!" Cole furrowed his brows, roughly shoving the space pirate off of him. Jay fell to the floor, tangled up in his cape. When Jay looked up at him, he swore he saw a flash of guilt in the thief's eyes, but Cole quickly waved that away.

The pirate shifted on the floor. He leaned back on his elbows, too stunned to move.

"I trusted you." Cole's eyes got dark as he stared Jay down. "I shared with you my entire life's story. I played dress up with you. I followed you onto your little _ship_-"

"Cole, c'mon-" Jay squeaked.

"I _kissed_ you!" His eyes searched the hall for the direction of the ship's main deck. He needed to get off.

"Cole, wait!"

The fugitive didn't even dare look over his shoulder when Jay called out to him. "Why? So you can see me behind bars?"

"I gotta get out of here," he muttered under his breath.

His feet kept moving, carrying him to where he hoped was the main deck.

As he moved, his head flooded with thoughts.

Jay _lied_ to him.

He tried to butter him up so what? So that Cole could soon be handed over for his crimes?

What did it matter that the pirate was growing on him? Jay was only going to turn on him later anyways.

Cole cursed at himself for being so vulnerable. Scolded at himself for actually falling in love with him.

He kept on running, then stopped when he made it to the main deck. He squeezed in beside Pixal, looking over the radar. The small triangle they were on the map was already nearing the giant red dot, which Cole assumed was their destination.

"Where are we going?" He asked Pixal as the triangle drew nearer.

Pixal kept her eyes on the sky, maneuvering the wheel with precision while she answered Cole. "Your home."

Cole raised a brow in suspicion. "My… home?"

He fell forward when the ship hit the ground roughly. Shaking his head, he looked up from the computer board and peered out the window.

A girl with white hair dressed in all green stood confidently in front of the building. She tapped her foot impatiently, glaring straight at him. Shocked, Cole ducked his head down under where it wouldn't be visible from outside.

Pixal got up from her chair and opened the hangar doors.

Cole began to panic. "No, no, no, no…"

The sound of panting drew his attention and Cole turned his head sharply at the space pirate, who had recovered and made his way to the main deck. He stared at Cole for a moment, a visible hurt in his eyes, before looking to the window, then the opening hangar doors.

"What?!" Jay ran up to Pixal, waving his arms. "Pixal, what is this? What's going on? _Why_ are we here?"

"I only performed what was asked of me. To return Cole to Garmadon."

"_No_, Pix!" Jay clenched his fists, pulling at the ends of his hair.

From below, Kai scampered up the ramp, each holding a taser.

Nya smirked, a hand on her hip. "Told ya Jay would bring him in."

Kai rolled his eyes, scanning the ship for the wanted fugitive. He spotted him standing to the far right. And from the looks of it, he seemed liked he had been trying to flee further into the ship.

Kai held out a badge. "Cole Brookstone, you are under arrest by authority of Chief Garmadon."

Jay gaped, and he threw a hand out towards Kai, grabbing him by the shoulder. He yanked him backwards.

"You _can't_ take him in, Kai," Jay begged.

Kai scoffed, tearing his arm away from Jay. "This man is a wanted fugitive. You can't tell us how to do our jobs, Walker."

"But-"

"Don't '_but_' me, Walker. You did your part, now let us take care of the rest."

Before the pirate could make another move, his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the floor, wincing in pain. Nya had snuck up and tazed him from behind.

"Nice work, Sis!" Kai held up his hand, waiting for victory high-five. But Nya only looked upon Jay with solemn eyes. Kai noticed this and put a hand on her shoulder warmly. "Hey, you were wrong. But it's okay."

He turned to Cole next, "I'll take care of him."

Cole stood up from the floor, backing up into the wall. He held his hands up defensively. "Kai, right? We don't have to fight?"

Kai shrugged, grinning happily. "Course not. Makes it all the more easier for me."

The thief furrowed his brows, slipping into a fighting stance. "Well, you're not taking me in without one!"

Cole sprinted and began running towards Kai. He swung his leg up in the air, knocking the taser out of Kai's hands and onto the floor. Regaining his balance, he dodged a punch from Kai and rolled beneath him, popping up from behind and sending him flying against the wall.

He threw a glance over his shoulder, targeting Nya. "Try me, Sweetheart," he mocked.

With a loud scream, Nya charged at Cole from behind, holding her taser out in front of her. The thief dodged that as well, stepping to the side. He bent down and grabbed Nya by the ankles, spinning her round till she was sent in the same direction as her brother.

"That wasn't so hard," he complimented himself, dusting off his hands. His eyes drifted to the ship's wheel. "Alright, time to get this baby airborne again."

From the ground, Jay pried open his eye, looking around to try and regain his vision. The whole world blurred as his head spun in circles. But he could see feet, moving towards Cole. Jay curled. "Cole!"

Unfortunately, for Cole, he only got as far as one step before Harumi tazed him in the back.

Cole screamed, falling onto his knees and holding his stomach in tremendous pain. He lifted his head up to see the girl with white hair standing over him proudly.

She got down into a squat, catching Cole's chin between her fingers and forcing his head up. "Someone looks like they're not feeling well," she tsked.

Cole opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by another taze, this time to the stomach. Harumi grinned as he fell forward, using an arm to hold him up. The pain surged through him as quick as lightning. But he wasn't strong enough.

Jay moaned from beside them. "You can't…" he huddled forward, groaning, "... take him…"

Harumi held up her hand over the pendant, reaffirming her control over Pixal. "Bring Jay inside. We don't want any loose screws." She directed her attention back to Cole once Pixal pulled Jay out of sight.

"As for you, Cole... we've got a special treat for you. No more running. No more hiding."

* * *

Frankly, it hurt to even open an eye.

Jay's muscles were sore everywhere from the shock that Nya had given him. In fact, he felt weak and drained and exhausted.

His head lolled forward, images of what happened earlier flashing in his head.

Cole… he couldn't save Cole.

Jay's eye widened.

He _yelled_ at Cole.

What was he _thinking_? What if those were the last words Cole would ever hear from him? What if the last way Cole thought of him was as a traitor? A friend who turned his back on him? A lying, dirty rat. Or worse, what if Cole thought of himself as a silly pawn who played right into Jay's hands? _Garmadon's_ hands.

Cole, Cole, _Cole_.

Cole had kissed him.

Though the kiss was definitely something sudden and unexpected, Jay still couldn't explain the euphoric feeling that washed over him when his lips met Cole's. He'd never been that intimate with someone before. But it was strangely satisfying. And warm. Kinda how he'd imagine it the first time he laid eyes on Cole.

Yet he still yelled at him. Accused him. Begged him.

His thoughts had been so strongly clouded he couldn't be rational. Not for Cole. Not even for himself.

"Well, looks like someone's awake," came a voice as the door opened.

Jay looked up from the table, scanning his surroundings. He tugged his arm, noticing that his wrists were cuffed, chained to the table. Where was he anyways?

"You're in an interrogation room, if you wondering, by the way."

He squinted through the dim lights, trying to identify the girl that stood before her. She looked strangely familiar. Then it hit him. The one who hurt Cole.

"My name is Harumi. I'm the one in charge of this case," she took a seat on the other side of the table, giving Jay one of those fake-friendly smiles. "I have to thank you for finding Cole for us. It's hard to catch bad guys like him. They always slip through."

The girl - Harumi - sighed and shook her head sadly.

Jay wrinkled his nose. "He's not a bad guy."

"Well he's certainly not one of the good guys. So what else do you suppose I call him?"

"He's…" Jay opened his mouth, but quickly closed it when he realized that she was right. He wasn't a good guy. At least, not in her eyes. Not to _them_.

Harumi smirked. "I thought so."

"So we have two options for you, Jay. One, we could set you free, but I'd have to erase every memory that you had with Cole. Can't have you trying to come back and set him free now, can we? Or, we could send you to prison where you'll serve your time for aiding a fugitive in trying to escape."

Jay pulled against the table violently. "Where is Chief Garmadon? I demand to speak with Chief Garmadon."

Harumi visibly tensed. And if Jay had noticed, he would have assumed something was wrong immediately. But he didn't. The pirate was too occupied with his thoughts to even spare Harumi another glance. "Chief Garmadon has his hands full at the moment."

"And Cole-"

"Ah yes, Cole. Actually, I have to thank you again." Jay stopped his fidgeting, slowly raising his head at Harumi. What did she mean? He brought Cole to them, that was enough, wasn't it?

Harumi clasped her hands on the table, leaning closer to Jay. His body grew cold all of the sudden. Something about the way Harumi was looking at him made him feel uneasy and was very unsettling.

"A cut that deep must take _ages_ to heal."

"What are you talking about?"

"He told me everything, Jay." She stared at him with half-lidded eyes, "How you hurt him. How you _lied_ to him. _Used _him."

Jay's heart was beating fast now. "I didn't- I didn't use him! I-"

"Yes, but _of course_ you didn't! You only wanted him to trust you so that he wouldn't run away, making it easier on _you_ to deliver him to _us_." Harumi dropped her chin down into her palm, grinning at him. "Come to think of it, you actually got him to fall in love with you! That's _very_ clever." Harumi mocked him endlessly.

She traced a circle along the table mindlessly. "I guess that's where the thank you comes in. His mind was already so broken, it made it easier for me to manipulate him."

"Manipulate him?" Jay stared at the table drowning in confusion. "I thought you were just going to lock him up. What do you need Cole for?"

"I need him to steal something for me. That way, I can bring every other injustice in this world to its rightful place. Gets the job done faster, dontcha think?"

The space pirate shook his head. "You may think your intentions are good, but the way you're going about them… it's wrong!"

At that moment, something sparked inside of Harumi. She stood up from her chair violently, shaking the table. Jay drew back to the best of his abilities almost instantly, terrified.

"Enough!" Harumi marched towards the door. "I only came in here to thank you, and to let you decide your own fate. You've got fifteen minutes."

Jay winced as the door slammed to a close.

Never in his life had he been more terrified of a single person.

On the other hand, never in his life had he been more miserable.

And now he had to choose between living without memories of Cole for the rest of his life. Or, he could live out the rest of his life in a prison. Either way, Cole would still be left to rot under Chief Garmadon's presence. And Jay couldn't live with that.

Not when he thought Cole could change.

Not after he had gotten to know him on a more personal level.

Not after he had fallen in love with him.

Not when the vent was rattling above him.

Jay stopped. Vent? He raised his head, and just as he suspected, there was a _vent_ sitting in the ceiling just above the spot where Harumi had been.

He squinted as the vent cover was kicked down from the inside.

A flash of green dropped down from above. Jay could only gawk, confused as to what was going on right now and who the boy in front of him was.

The blonde hair, the green eyes, his face. It all looked so familiar to Jay yet he couldn't quite stick a pin in it.

"_Don't_ scream. Or shout. Or just… don't make any loud noises, okay? I'm getting you out of here."

"Huh?" Jay watched as he crouched down on the table, unlocking the cuffs from Jay's wrists.

In an instant, Jay was lifted out of his chair and helped onto the table. "Go through the vents, and just keep going straight. I'll meet you on the other side." His savior told him, picking up the fallen vent cover.

That's when it clicked. "Wait… you're…"

"Yeah, it's me. Lloyd."

* * *

**Heh, I really like Rumi in this fic. She's... on the good side, she has good intentions, but the way she thinks about them is wrong. It's kinda cool, ay?**

**Also, I can't help but hear Olaf's voice in my head any time I see the line "That's _very_ clever" XD.**


	8. These Dorks are Both Hopeless

**Happy! ... Fourth? Friday of Quarantine? Bleh. Guys, this is so long and boring it's _killing_ me. Yo, did this show up for people?**

* * *

Jay coughed vehemently, stumbling out of the vent with dust trapped all over his clothes and cape. "Geez, warn a guy the next time they have to crawl through a ventilation system, will you? Don't you guys have a cleaning guy or something?" He asked as he was helped to his feet by the young Garmadon.

The space pirate dusted off his clothes, holding his breath as dust particles cluttered the air. It honestly felt like forever since he saw daylight. Not to mention it was getting incredibly stuffy in the vents, _suffocating_ even. Jay couldn't handle it one bit. The number of times he almost gave up and crawled backwards were beyond him.

None of that mattered though now that he was finally out. Out in the fresh air. Out where there was space to move around and do whatever he wanted.

"Sorry, Jay. It was the only safest way out I could find," Lloyd admitted, grabbing him by the arm and leading him around back.

"You know, I just realized. I never got paid for bringing in Cole."

Lloyd grimaced. He couldn't believe the space pirate. "Really? _That's_ what you're worried about?"

The pirate smirked. "No! No. Hah. Besides, I have… a lot of regrets for letting them take Cole. I- It's…" He cleared his throat, refusing to let any more thoughts of Cole creep back into his head, "So… you gonna tell me why you broke me out back there? Or am I just supposed to figure that out on my own?"

Lloyd threw him a glance over his shoulder. "Well, for starters, I couldn't leave you there."

They stopped in front of what looked like a giant garage. Jay gaped, turning to Lloyd silently. The chief's son placed his hand against a scanner and the door began to open.

"Look, Cole may not be on our side, but," Lloyd pulled him safely inside, closing the doors again, "I can't let Rumi get away with stealing the Oni Masks."

"Rumi? Who's Rumi?" Jay gasped. "Is that Harumi?"

Lloyd ignored his comment, shrugging, more or less, and led Jay down a hall of closed doors. At the second door, Lloyd stopped. Jay took a peek over his shoulder and read the comments.

It was his ship.

Again, Lloyd had to go through the procedure of scanning his hand and waiting for the door to open once more. But Jay could care less. It was his ship! And it too was in its own kind of prison cell.

Lloyd dragged Jay inside. Suddenly, J-Bot came out from the dark, rolling up to Jay to welcome him back.

Jay stifled a laugh, getting down on his knees to run his hands over him. Thank goodness J-Bot was still in good shape. No one had harmed the little fellow. Jay's laughter quickly faded when he realized there was still someone else missing.

"Wait, where's Pixal?"

Behind him, Lloyd was busy punching in coordinates.

"She's uh…" Lloyd paused for a brief moment. He didn't look at Jay when he answered, "She's with Harumi."

The space pirate stood up hastily, rushing to Lloyd's side. "What? Why? What happened?"

His questions were ignored as Lloyd pushed him down into the driver's seat, gesturing for him to start the engine. Jay complied easily, but still wanted answers. All he wanted to know was whether or not Pixal was okay. She had been his friend for as long as he could remember. The thought of losing her too was just too much for him at a time like this.

Jay looked over at Lloyd hesitantly, asking quietly, "Where are we going?"

"To see my Uncle."

* * *

Harumi screamed. Very, _very_, loud.

Loud enough that Nya and Kai had been able to hear it and rushed to her side to see what was the matter.

"Harumi, are you alright?" Nya asked, touching her arm gently.

The intern pulled her arm away forcefully, glaring at the two detectives with a dangerous look in her eyes. "You two, _find_ Jay Walker. And check to see if his ship is still here."

Nya opened her mouth but Kai quickly held her by the arms, pulling his sister away with a sheepish grin. "Of course! Harumi."

The second the two of them were out of sight, Harumi shut herself inside of the interrogation room, kicking over the chairs and searching for any clues that might tell her where Jay went. The space pirate had escaped, no doubt with some help. The only problem was, Harumi hadn't had the slightest clue as to who might have helped him and _why_.

She picked up the cuffs that the space pirate had previously been wearing and threw them against the wall impulsively.

Whoever had broken Jay out, chances were he was going to be at the event tonight to stop her from getting those masks.

That only meant she had to up her defenses. And she was willing to play that game.

* * *

"Woah, woah, _woah_. Tell me again what Harumi needs Cole to steal for her?"

Jay was on the edge of his seat, completely lost in the chaos. He knew that something was up with this Harumi girl from the start. He just couldn't quite put a finger on it.

The moment the two of them arrived at Lloyd's Uncle's place, Jay was greeted with the kindest, most incredible hospitality he had ever found. Wu, was the name of Lloyd's uncle. And he was quite old, if Jay had anything to say about it. But old was good! Especially if he had a long white beard, because that meant wise bonus points.

Lloyd let out a sigh, pinching the bridge between his eyes, leaning against the kitchen stove. "I can't believe this. Rumi always thinks she's doing good, but she doesn't realize who she's hurting!"

"That's what I told her," Jay grinned.

Lloyd groaned, opening the cupboard for a granola bar.

"Harumi needs Cole to steal the Oni Masks. They're super rare that all three were never seen in the same room together. Until tonight."

Jay raised a funny looking brow, leaning forward in his chair. "What's tonight?"

From the door, Wu walked in, holding a steaming tea pot.

"Tonight is the grand unveiling of all three Oni Masks," he said to them, prepping the tea.

He poured into three small cups, handing one to his nephew and one to Jay.

"Thanks!" Jay piped, letting it sit to cool down.

Lloyd did the same, watching his foot as he twirled it out of boredom. "It's a black tie event. Cyrus Borg is hosting it with Professor Hutchins. _Lots_ of people are going to be there." He added, unwrapping the granola bar and munching on it quietly.

"So… what? We're gonna steal it? Before Harumi does? Is that the plan?"

"You mean _Cole_." Jay's shoulders slumped.

"But I thought you were the good guys. You don't steal things."

Lloyd shook his head. "We don't. But we can't let Harumi win. If she gets her greedy little hands on all three of them, she'd hurt a lot of people. _One_ person is bad enough. Using Cole to get what she wants is… not right."

Jay raised his hand shyly, clearing his throat to gain Lloyd's attention. He turned to him. "If you don't mind me asking… What do you mean by _one person is bad enough_? What did she do to Cole?"

His guts sunk as the question rolled off his tongue. He swore he remembered hearing Harumi use the word "manipulate", but Jay had just assumed she meant to _literally_ manipulate his thoughts. To _physically_ mess with them and play him like a fiddle. And while he didn't want to know what it really meant, something inside of him told him he had to.

For his sake.

For Cole's sake.

"Rumi has a necklace with the piece of a Hypnobrai staff." Jay tilted his head to the right. "It means she can hypnotize anyone at her will. She did it to Pixal, she did it to Cole," Lloyd swallowed, sharing a look with his uncle, "She did it to my Dad."

Jay gulped. What did that mean for him?

"What if… I have to _fight_ Cole?" He murmured sadly, staring at his tea.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come down to that."

* * *

Cole couldn't quite remember anything beyond Jay's betrayal.

Still, he couldn't believe what a fool he was. Out of all the people to come into his life (which was enough to only be counted on one hand), he thought for sure Jay was the one. The one to stay.

But Jay had hurt him. The pirate took advantage of him. And Cole didn't appreciate that one bit. However, he didn't want to admit to the feelings of guilt that overcame him when he left Jay behind.

Now, Cole was standing in front of a full body mirror. He was looking his reflection up and down as he fiddled with the cuffs around his wrists. This wasn't the first time a heist called for some kind of disguise to get in.

"How does the suit fit?" Harumi asked from the door, arms folded across her chest.

Cole diverted his attention to her from the mirror. He sniffed, dropping his arms by his side.

"It's fine."

The girl with white hair stepped beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Cole tensed very briefly at the touch. He didn't want her _anywhere_ near him. Yet, unfortunately, Cole had struck a messy deal with the intern.

After the recent events on Jay's ship, Cole had woken up to find himself in a jail cell, as highly suspected. Rather than bars however, the cells in Chief Garmadon's compound were far more sophisticated and secured and had a special glass wall instead. For a while, Cole was relieved.

At least he didn't have to be around Jay anymore. That was until he realized he was stuck in the very last place he wanted to be. And the very place he had been trying so hard to avoid.

Things only got worse when Harumi showed up to take advantage of his weak minded state.

It was the moment he accepted her little offer: to steal the Oni Masks.

Tonight was the grand unveiling of such artifacts. A black tie event hosted by Borg at the museum, alongside Professor Hutchins.

"Thought you should know that Jay escaped several hours ago," the girl said coolly.

Cole's eyes flickered to the mirror. He couldn't quite describe the small hints of sadness in his voice when he asked, "He did?"

Harumi nodded, smiling at her reflection cockily.

"No doubt he's going to try and sabotage our little caper." Cole took a deep breath as Harumi ran her hand down Cole's tie, finding it to be perfectly tied. "I hope you're ready for tonight. And remember the plan."

Then, she took his hand and unfurled his fingers, dropping in it a tiny earpiece. Cole stared at it.

"Garmadon, Pixal, and I will all be wearing one tonight. No doubt someone's going to try and stop you. And we can't have that, can we?"

Cole put on the earpiece, holding back a sigh. "No."

The urge to punch her in the face was strong, but Cole had to hold back. At least, for now.

As for Harumi, she was getting tired of people fighting against her.

She started for the door, leaving Cole with a little farewell note. "Remember," she rubbed the jewel around her neck, "if you fall out of line, I still control you."

When the door closed shut, Cole took off the earpiece and stuffed it away in his pocket.

All of this was merely a ruse to trick Harumi into trusting him.

The Hypnobrai's gem hadn't actually worked on him. He faked it to make her believe it, because tonight he had his own plans.

After all, he might have been caught, but Harumi was blindy giving him a way out.

* * *

Almost three hours ago, Jay was fretting over what to wear for the big event. Lloyd said it was a black tie event, and Jay had never dressed to impress before, let alone put on a tie. And to top it off, he couldn't bear without his cape. Nevertheless, he had no choice if he was going to help Lloyd pull this off. And… possibly… reunite with Cole.

At least, that was what he hoped. He couldn't stop thinking about the things that went down in his ship earlier. The events replayed in his head over and over, forcing him to relive his guilt.

"You think there's going to be a snack table?" Jay asked in an attempt to take his mind off of Cole.

Lloyd bit the inside of his cheek, looking to the side before shrugging. "I dunno. There should be." As the two of them neared the front doors, the young agent leaned over to Jay and said to him in a low whisper, "Remember, the goal is to stop Cole before he can steal the masks. Got it?"

The pirate nodded hesitantly.

Jay forced a smile as they entered the building. His first instinct was to search the crowd for anyone he knew, or anyone who looked vaguely familiar to him. A gasp escaped his lips as he tugged on Lloyd's sleeve forcefully, pointing towards the three people by a small opening.

Lloyd's eyes squinted, brushing away Jay's hands. "Looks like we weren't the only ones planning to crash the party."

Standing in the spot where Jay had pointed at were Harumi, Pixal, and the Chief. No doubt Harumi brought them here as a Plan B, or some other form of backup. Lloyd turned away quickly, as to not be recognized. He led Jay to the far side of the room where they could see Borg and Hutchins standing by the prize.

The Oni Masks, all three of them, were located up front, dead center in a slightly higher elevation, covered by a large cloth.

Lloyd said it took ages for anyone to ever find all three masks. They were incredibly rare and extremely hard to possess once found. Jay was informed of the three abilities each of them held. Apparently, one had the ability to make things levitate. And another, the power to grow an extra set of arms. Neither, however, compared to the last mask, which gave its wearer the power to become an indestructible force.

"Food!" Jay gasped, rushing to the snack bar. He picked up a couple of crackers and cheese while Lloyd hovered around him in thought.

"This is going to be tough if they're here," Jay heard Lloyd say from beside him. The boy began to think aloud. "I'm not sure what Rumi's plan is, but you need to find Cole before Borg reveals those masks. I'll keep my eyes on Harumi and the other two."

Jay stuffed a baby carrot in his mouth, glancing at Lloyd with his one eye. "You want me to find Cole?"

Lloyd nodded, staring off into the distance. "Think you can do that?"

His eyes followed his father from across the room as the Chief walked up to Borg. He had to get closer and find out what they were talking about. Luckily, Harumi had left for another post. So a little interference wouldn't hurt.

"I, uh-" Jay shut his mouth when Lloyd pushed him back gently, moving forward.

"Start looking. I have to check on something."

Jay frowned as he watched Lloyd walk away, leaving him all by himself and alone. How he wished Pixal was here to support him. Or maybe even Cole. If he could get him back that was.

What he would give to be back in Cole's presence. Heck, maybe even getting a do-over on that kiss would be nice.

He sighed, tapping his foot to the soft rhythm of the music that hung around in the air. Be on the lookout for Cole, Lloyd had told him. Jay searched the room, feeling an uneasy wave of awkwardness wash over him. He always felt weird staring at other people for too long like he was looking for someone.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Pixal walking in his direction. Jay peeped, looking away and began to fast walk out of sight, blending in with the rest of the crowd. Although, everyone was mingling, and Jay had no one to mingle with.

Jay continued to search, though, trying his best to act natural.

It was so hard to find anyone when-

"You shouldn't be here, Captain," came a voice from behind him. "You're only going to get hurt again."

Jay stiffed and held his breath, refusing to turn around.

That voice. It was _his_ voice. The voice of the criminal who had stolen his heart.

"Cole!"

"-Is leaving."

Just as the thief turned around, as did Jay, lurching for Cole's hand. The thief growled low in his throat but didn't show any form of resent to Jay's physical touch. He glanced over his shoulder at Jay, clenching his other fist.

"No! Wait." Jay's fingers curled tighter around Cole's. "Please, don't leave."

"I don't want to be around you." Cole deadpanned, although it was only partially true. Jay opened his mouth to speak, but Cole beat him to it, continuing. "And before you say anything, there's nothing you can do about it. I can't believe I fell for you."

Jay's eye fell to the floor, hurt. Cole was right. There really wasn't anything he could do to prove how sorry he was. Nothing to do to make up for the actions he made and the way he wounded him. Nothing to do but apologize, that was. "I'm sorry."

Cole remained silent. Jay squeezed his hand and circled round front, trying desperately to meet his eyes.

"Look, I just _don't_ want you to walk away from me again."

He grasped for straws as he racked his brain for ways to make the moment last. If he didn't, Cole would just walk away again, and Jay would just have to run after him once more. Not to mention the Oni Masks were still a threat.

As Jay stared hopelessly into Cole's eyes, something inside of him sparked.

And for the first time, he felt no regrets when he stood up on his toes, pressed his hands against the thief's chest, and leaned in to press his lips against Cole's.

* * *

**Now it's Jay's turn :o**


	9. A Night to Remember

**Yooo I got so distracted this week, plus had some work to do from AP Gov, that I forgot to work on Oil on Your Hands. I promise that will be updated soon!**

**Anyhoo, hope y'all are doing well! I wanna say we're all in this together because ? anybody watch the Disney Family Sing Along last night? Ah! I swear I actually started tearing up when Auli'i came on to perform How Far I'll Go? And I got goosebumps! But the HSM cast was there for a reunion to sing the most iconic HSM song and that just made me incredibly happy.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Cole arrived at the event about twenty minutes before Jay, riding in a single car with Pixal, Chief Garmadon, and Harumi.

Stepping out of the car dressed from head to toe in the finest suit Harumi could get her hands on, he felt pretty confident going in with this plan of his. When Borg revealed the Oni Masks, that was the cue to cut the power and remove them from their glass case. However, escaping during a caper in the dark wasn't ideal. So Harumi equipped him with special contacts that had night vision.

And just for the sake of pleasing her, Cole wore the earpiece.

Just for the occasion, not only did Cole dress nice, but he also made sure to whip his hair into something presentable and nice (and _no_, he did not tie it).

The minute he stepped foot inside, he was blown away by how few people there were. There were some people he recognized. Such as Skylor, Borg, and Professor Hutchins. Some cop seemed to be hovering around Skylor though. He looked like a newbie.

Cole shrugged it off. He had no clue how highly reserved this event was. Yet, it only made it easier for Cole to steal the masks.

"Go ahead, enjoy yourself. Relax, take it easy a bit," Harumi said coolly, lightly shoving Cole into the direction of the snack bar. "The unveiling isn't until another hour or so."

The thief tossed her a glance over his shoulder, as if to doubt them both. "Pixal, Garmadon, and I will keep a lookout for anything suspicious," she assured him before leaving to group up with the others.

When Harumi was out of sight, Cole grabbed a small platter of cheese before dissipating into the small crowd, keeping his eyes on the cloth that hid the Oni Masks. However, every so often Cole's eyes would flicker back to the door in hopes that Jay would walk through.

Cole squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. Nope, he wanted nothing to do with that crummy space pirate, he reminded himself. He plucked a cheese off the plater with a toothpick and stuck it in his mouth. Though, his heart longed to see Jay again. Even if it was just for a bit.

If Jay hadn't done what he did to him earlier, Cole would have tried to convince the pirate to pull the caper with him. Maybe even run away with him. But that option was already out of the book.

Out of boredom, Cole wandered the room a bit, using the time to make subtle observations about the museum floor that could help him later. He found a gift shop several rooms down one hall and the Yin Blade he had been trying to steal down another.

Seconds later, he realized his cheese platter had run out, and he was tempted to go back for more until he spotted _him_ at the table.

So Jay did come. And he looked… incredible, bow tie, tux and all.

Though, he had to admit, it was a little bit odd seeing him without a cape. Aside from that time Cole stole his. Still, he couldn't deny how cute the pirate looked, keeping his eyepatch on.

The thief threw away his plate, blending in with the rest of the people as he kept his eyes on Jay.

The pirate looked a bit nervous when the other boy that was with him left. Cole figured Jay didn't like being alone, especially in events like these. He stifled a laugh, watching as Jay attempted to look casual and merge in with the rest of the crowd.

"Agh. No, you do _not_ like him, Cole. Remember what he did to you?" Cole cursed at himself, wandering about the floor some more. "But he shouldn't be here."

Cole's eyes swept over to the pirate in the center of the room.

Right, he was angry with him. But, maybe a fair warning?

Cole marched towards him, shoulders squared and chest puffed. "You shouldn't be here, Captain. You're only going to get hurt again."

Jay didn't turn around, but he heard a sharp gasp escape him. "Cole!"

The thief furrowed his brows, deftly spinning around on his heels. "-Is _leaving_."

Before he could get any further, Jay had grabbed him by the hand. Cole didn't try to fight back, but he was still mad. He could feel Jay's fingers squirming, trying to intertwine with his. Cole denied it.

"No! Wait…" Jay's fingers curled tighter around his, "Please, don't leave."

While it hurt Cole deeply to hear those words leave Jay's mouth, he still didn't want to be _here_. "Look, I don't want to be around you. And before you say anything, there is nothing you can do about it." Cole sucked a deep breath, "I can't believe I fell for you…"

He was surprised when the space pirate stood firm, locking his eye with him. "I'm sorry… I just don't want you to walk away from me again." Emphasis on the "don't'".

Cole scoffed. So, Jay admitted he was sorry? Still, what reason did he have to believe him? Yet, he didn't want to walk away from Jay either.

Then he felt a sudden, warm, pressure against his chest when the pirate stood on his toes to press his lips against his. His eyes shot open wide.

He wanted to fight back. Tell Jay that he was out of his mind to think he could kiss him here. In public. In the middle of a caper that could potentially go awry.

But Jay's lips were so soft. And Cole was so _in love_.

For sure, this was one way for Jay to show he was truly sorry.

Cole hummed and closed his eyes. Forget the heist. Jay was the only thing that mattered right now.

And for sure, his thoughts had been so clouded by the reality that Jay was kissing him back, that Cole had _legitimately _forgotten about why he was here at this event in the first place. That was until his earpiece buzzed.

_Watch it, _Cole_._ Harumi's voice hissed within his ear.

The thief's eyes snapped open, looking over the top of Jay's head and at the intern who stood idly by on the far side of the room, glaring back at him.

Harumi was watching them. Watching _him_.

It was terrifying _and_ disturbing. That's when it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't want Jay to get roped up in the middle of any of this.

_Don't test me, Cole. _She snarled, walking away from his line of sight. _Do something about the space pirate, or I'll take care of him myself._

Cole ignored the voice in his ear, instead focusing on getting Jay somewhere far and safe.

"It wasn't fair for me not to return it the last time," Jay murmured once he pulled away, curling his fingers against Cole's chest weakly.

Cole frowned, taking a moment to process Jay's words. When Cole had kissed him, the thief meant it. Did Jay mean it too? If not, if this really was just Jay's way of saying "I'm sorry", then he chose pretty poorly. "You didn't have to -"

He was interrupted by the space pirate when his hands found Cole's, intertwining their fingers. "I like you too, big guy."

A smile flashed across Cole's face and his cheeks flushed. Jay actually liked him back? "You do?"

"I-"

"May I have your attention please?" A voice boomed, breaking the moment between the two.

It was Cyrus Borg and Professor Hutchins, standing nearby the sheeted display case.

"Thank you, all of you, for joining us here this evening. This is a special occasion for all of us as these masks have never been seen together in the same room! My thanks go out to Doctor Julien, who sadly, could not be here tonight, for finding all three."

As Borg spoke, Cole calculated.

He needed to be there once the masks were revealed. More importantly, he needed Jay to be safe. He could feel Harumi glaring daggers at him and shivered. There was no way he could risk keeping Jay out in the open. At least, not right now, because right now, Jay wasn't safe here.

"In just a few minutes, Professor Hutchins and I shall be unveiling the rare Oni Masks!"

Cole's fingers curled tighter around Jay's. The space pirate felt this and drew his attention to the thief, confused and worried. While he did mean the kiss, he also had hoped that it would have distracted Cole out of stealing the masks. Clearly, whatever he had hoped seemed to be failing.

"We need to go." Without another word, Cole pulled Jay off the floor, dragging him down an empty hall in the museum. Jay quickly panicked, trying to pull Cole back but to no avail.

"What's-" the pirate shut his mouth when Cole led him into the gift shop.

"Cole, what's going on?"

The thief remained quiet, pulling out a chair from behind the register and tossing it into an empty corner. To his luck, he found some packaging tape as well. Gripping Jay by the shoulders, he pushed the pirate into the corner and forced him down onto the chair.

"If Harumi has something to do with this, I-"

Cole lifted a hand, shushing Jay. The thief got down on a knee, unravelling the tape, tying Jay's legs to the feet and his hands together behind the backrest. Jay grimaced, fighting back. If this was some sort of trick- if Harumi was controlling Cole-

"Cole! Snap out of it, dangit!" The pirate squirmed, looking up at Cole once he was done. "You _can't_ steal the Oni Masks. If Harumi gets her hands on them-"

"Don't worry, Harumi won't come close to them."

Jay blinked, looking at Cole as if the guy were crazy. "But-"

The thief got down into a squat, eye level with Jay. He rested a hand on Jay's thigh, "I just need you to trust me."

_Trust_, the very thing that pulled them into this whole mess. And while Jay couldn't take back all the things he did to Cole before, he could make it up to him now. Again.

The pirate nodded firmly.

"Okay. I trust you."

Cole nodded respectively. "Save the confessions for later, okay, Cap?"

Jay's cheeks warmed and he smiled.

Suddenly, his mouth felt dry as he watched Cole walk out the doors, leaving him all alone and tied up in the gift shop. The second Cole shut the doors, Jay made a jump for it, or at least tried to, only resulting in tipping over the chair, his shoulder slamming hard against the floor.

Jay groaned, shifting on the floor as he searched for an escape.

Fortunately, for him, something shiny caught his eye from the ground.

* * *

Cole shut the doors, letting out a shaky breath.

That should make Harumi believe Jay wouldn't interfere. As for Jay himself, Cole made sure to leave something sharp for the pirate to cut through the tape with. He left it decently far, hoping it would buy him enough time to carry out his plan before Jay got to it.

_Are you in position? _Harumi's voice buzzed in suddenly.

Cole scampered down the hall, moving closer to the front of the room casually as to not draw attention. The masks were now in a clear shot. Cole lifted a finger, linking back to Harumi.

"_I_ am. Are you?" He remarked, and the intern could hear a smirk in his voice. She scoffed into the earpiece. "Jay's taken care of."

_Good _job_, Cole. I've got my sights on Lloyd. He's been so preoccupied with his father, it's a shame he hasn't noticed me yet,_ Harumi pouted sarcastically.

"And now, for the moment you have all been waiting for!" Borg bellowed, rolling his wheelchair across the length of the case. Professor Hutchins stepped forward and they each grabbed one end of the cloth.

All at once, the sheet was pulled off, the light casting down on all three masks.

Cole couldn't help himself if a gasp left him when his eyes landed on the rare artifacts. Just by looking at them, he could tell they were much more valuable than he first imagined them to be.

He confirmed his thoughts. Yeah, there was _no way_ he was going to let Harumi get her dirty, little hands all over them.

_Alright… _Harumi chimed in.

Cole's eyes flickered towards her as she sauntered over to the light switches. Taking that as his cue, he pushed in the night vision contacts.

_3…_

The thief disappeared into the crowd, looking for another way around.

_2…_

From afar, Lloyd caught sight of Harumi and began to stride towards her cautiously.

_1._

The lights switched off and everything in the room fell pitch black.

It was now or never, Cole thought as he moved through the crowd and towards the masks.

Carefully, he opened the glass case as Borg and Hutchins tried to calm the guests down. Using the cloth that had previously been on top as a sack, he gently placed the Mask of Vengeance and Deception inside. As for the Mask of Hatred, something told him to hang onto the purple one.

In the dark, he stepped through the crowd, blazing a path for the doors.

Outside, he confronted Harumi with the masks.

"Excellent work, Cole," she grinned, holding out a hand to take the sack. Cole furrowed his brows, keeping the bag by his side. "Well? What are you waiting for? Hand it over," Harumi pressed further, lurching forward.

Cole shied away, holding the bag at a further distance.

Harumi snarled, turning sharply to Cole. "What gives?"

This time she lunged, but Cole quickly stepped to the side. "Too slow," he smirked.

She made another move, patience growing thin. "Yikes. Gotta try harder than that, Sweetheart."

With a final harrumph, the young woman felt for her necklace. She rubbed it a couple of times, keeping her eyes on Cole as she did so. Her expression faltered when Cole failed to show any signs of her control.

She grimaced, ripping the necklace from her neck. "What's wrong with this?"

Before she could make another move, Cole kicked her back into the wall, causing her to drop the Hypnobrai's gem on the ground. The thief crushed it under his foot, glaring at Harumi.

"I thought… why weren't you-" The intern held her stomach, holding the wall for support.

"You're easy to fool, Princess," Cole drawled, stepping closer to Harumi. "And did you forget you were in the presence of a master criminal?" He stopped, eyes flickering to the doors when he saw the lights come back on inside. No doubt they would realize the Oni Masks went missing then.

Harumi's eyes lit up when she saw the lights turn on. She snaked a hand behind her back, pulling out her comm from the back pocket. Immediately, she alerted Garmadon. "It won't be long before they realize the masks are missing," she told him.

Cole stared down at the girl, working his brain. She was right. And he only had two options: let Harumi go, seek shelter back inside and bring out the backup. Or he could just take care of Harumi himself. But where was the fun in that?

"The Oni Masks! They're gone!" He heard Professor Hutchins cry from inside of the building.

Footsteps sounded near the door and in an instant they swung open, Lloyd and Skylor behind the Chief. Cole's eyes darted between Harumi and the Chief.

"Tick, tock," Harumi chimed.

Cole looked down at the mask hooked around his waist.

* * *

"Aha!" Jay cackled once he finally freed himself from the tape. The pirate jumped onto his feet, heading straight for the doors. He shook his wrists to get the blood flowing again as he raced down the corridor. That was until he realized everything was so dark.

Jay blinked, but found no difference. "Why is everything dark?" He whispered, cautiously moving through the dark. His arms felt around him for any walls and/or people, sliding left to right. Jay was terrified of tripping over something.

"Lloyd?" He called out in all the commotion, keeping his arms stuck out.

"Jay?"

With a sharp gasp, Jay curled his hands around what he believed were Lloyd's, feeling a rush of relief. "Lloyd! What's going on? Why are all the lights off?"

He felt the hands hold him back. "I don't know. But I bet it has something to do with Harumi and Cole. Help me get the lights back on?"

The pirate nodded, though Lloyd couldn't see it, and proceeded to drag Lloyd around the floor, looking for a switch.

His heart beat loudly as he wandered through the dark.

This must have been a distraction for Cole to steal the Oni Masks. He swallowed, feeling himself come to a wall. He just hoped Cole was alright. And what did the thief mean by it when he said that Harumi wouldn't get the masks? He knew he was supposed to trust Cole, but how could he completely put his trust in him when _this_ was happening?

Jay was walking in the dark.

He was looking for a switch.

And Cole? Cole was probably already on his way out with the masks.

Finally, Jay felt something funny shaped, like a switch. He let go of Lloyd and quickly flicked the lights back on.

He squeezed his eye shut, readjusting his vision to the new source of light that filled the room. His next instinct then was to drive his attention to the masks. Or what were the masks.

Professor Hutchins stepped up to the empty glass case, gaping. "The Oni Masks! They're gone!"

Suddenly, the Chief ran between him and Lloyd with Pixal and Skylor by his side.

"I just got something from Harumi. It's Cole."

Jay shut his eyes painfully. Of course it was.

In a split second, Lloyd, Garmadon, and Skylor were headed for the doors, but Pixal stayed put. She glanced at Jay, looking confused and lost. Whatever control Harumi had over her and Garmadon had faded since Cole destroyed the necklace, but Jay wasn't aware of that. "What are we doing here?"

Instead, the pirate frowned at her. He had no time to entertain her and grabbed his friend by the wrist, following the others to the door.

Jay found the rest were all huddled close, staring in shock at something Jay couldn't quite see himself. He pushed past them roughly, dragging Pixal with him. "Lloyd, what's the sit-"

And that was when Jay saw _it_.

_It _was an impenetrable force of magma stone. Covered from head to toe in it, Cole turned around wearing the Mask of Hatred.


	10. Independent Together

**Yo, I got sidetracked by the new Harley Quinn episode and a lot of other things. _Man_ it was actually really sad?**

**Anyways, enjoy :)**

* * *

"How nice of you to finally show up, Chief," Cole spat, frowning underneath the mask.

It had distorted Cole's voice, changing it into something deeper and _much_ colder. Somewhere, somehow, though, Jay could still recognize Cole under there. Confident and threatening on the outside, but just as scared on the inside.

Jay noticed how Cole's true colors had the tendency to slip through his hard exterior whenever he was around the space pirate. And it appeared to be a very rare experience to Cole, hence the sudden approach when Cole kissed him inside the ship.

The thief put a hand against his hip, leaning heavily on one foot. He surveyed the small group of people, taking note of how concerned Garmadon was looking at Harumi. Moving the bag into the other hand, he grabbed Harumi by the wrist and held her close defensively. "I take it you don't even _remember_ that your own intern tried to hypnotize you?"

Chief Garmadon furrowed his eyebrows, waving off Cole's comment. Of course he remembered that. It was the last _thing_ he could remember. But now wasn't the time to point fingers and make accusations.

"Let go of her, Cole."

"Oh, but that's just _gold_. You're willing to keep her safe?" Cole pulled harder on Harumi's arm. "Do you even know what she did tonight?"

Garmadon reached for the gun around his waist.

"Dad," Lloyd started, holding him by the arm, "that's not going to do anything. The mask makes him indestructible."

"Stand down, Lloyd." Garmadon stepped forward, brows taut. "Cole, release her and take off the mask. You _must_ return them to us _now_," he ordered.

The thief cocked his head at him, tossing the bag over a shoulder. "Or _what_?"

"You won't like the 'or'," Garmadon said coolly, gesturing for Lloyd to alert Kai and Nya. "Now take off the mask, Cole."

"Take off the mask and go back to prison with _you_?" Cole clenched his teeth, searching his surroundings for any means of escape. A getaway van, a car, a ship, anything! His eyes widened when he spotted Jay's ship not too far from where he was standing.

"Cole." Jay's voice grabbed his attention. The pirate stood beside the Chief, his lips quivering from the intensity of the situation. "Just do what he says, Cole," he squeaked, voice soft and barely audible.

Cole stepped back at Jay's words. Without much thought, other than that he only wanted to keep Jay safe, he dropped the bag by his feet, shoving Harumi towards the Chief roughly.

Lloyd grabbed Harumi by her arms, handing her over to Skylor. "Watch her for us, would you? She's not off the hook _yet_."

"The masks, Brookstone." Garmadon said loudly.

As Cole and Garmadon argued back and forth, Jay contemplated. The situation he was in was rough. He had no clue how to get out of it, but he knew for a fact he couldn't leave Cole alone to wrestle against Garmadon and the others. Not to mention Harumi was still a threat to them all. Just not everyone knew it.

_I just need you to trust me_, Cole's voice echoed in his head.

Whether or not this was a part of Cole's plan, Jay had agreed to trust him. And trust him, he was going to do.

He glanced over his shoulder at Pixal, who stood quietly and confused directly behind him.

What he _needed_ was his ship.

"Pix, I need you to get to my ship and steer it around back. It's hidden somewhere… camouflaged I think. Think you can find it?" He whispered to her, aiming not to raise any suspicions between Lloyd and Skylor.

His android friend nodded, slipping away to find out exactly just where Jay's ship was hiding.

"You've got ten seconds, Brookstone before the backup team gets here." Garmadon was referring to Kai and Nya.

"You think a "backup" team can stop me?" Cole cackled, pointing an accusing finger at Harumi. "_She's_ the real bad guy, here! Take her in instead of me!"

Garmadon raised his voice and gun higher. "You're still a threat. You're a wanted man. You've been running long enough. It's-"

Suddenly, he was knocked onto the ground, the gun flying out of his hands in the middle of the pavement. It was Jay who had sent him back through one swift side kick. Acting quick, Jay swiped the gun off the ground and stood in front of Cole, aiming it between Garmadon and Lloyd.

"You got another thing coming if you think you can shoot him!" Jay cried, squaring his shoulders and making himself taller and less afraid. His hands, however, were shaking. And his heart was running a mile of its own.

Cole was taken aback by the way Jay had jumped over to him so quickly. Maybe he was never against him to begin with…

Jay faced Cole, "Okay, so what's the plan?"

Cole blinked, delirious. "The plan?"

"Look, I have some stuff I need to get off of my chest too, but now _isn't_ the time. How do we get out of this mess?"

Cole looked down on Jay, curling his fists. His plan was only to make it out of here in one piece and run far, far away. Away from Chief Garmadon and his little friends.

A disgruntled cough caught Jay and Cole's attention as the Chief slowly sat up on the ground, holding his throbbing head. His son crouched down next to him, holding onto his arm gently. "Dad, are you okay?"

"I'm fine… Lloyd, do you have any weapons on you?"

Lloyd wrinkled his nose, "What? Dad, no! I don't bring weapons to a party!"

"Unbelievable," the Chief muttered under his breath as he was helped onto his feet. "Guess we just have to buy time until the backup gets here."

Garmadon pointed to Skylor, then back at the museum. "Skylor, take Harumi inside and _don't_ let her out of your sight. Lloyd, stay here with me." His eyes traveled up Cole's stone body until his eyes were lined up with the ones terrifyingly painted on the Mask of Hatred. But that wasn't who he wanted to convince.

"Jay," he began, "you don't have to help him. Come back here and we…" he turned to Lloyd awkwardly, who only shrugged, "we'll pay you what you were due for bringing Cole to us."

The pirate's hands tightened around the base of the weapon. "No."

Lloyd inhaled sharply, stepping forward. "_He's_ the bad guy, Jay. We came here to stop him from stealing the masks, remember? He's a thief, a rogue, a wanted criminal. You can't… side with him!"

Jay shut his eyes painfully, "Lloyd, stop it!"

Impulsively, he fired a bullet just in front of where Garmadon and Lloyd were standing. Father and son both jumped backwards due to their quick reflexes. Garmadon narrowed his eyes at the black spot on the ground as he pulled out his comm.

"That's it. Nya, Kai, how much longer do we have to wait for you to get down here?"

"You don't have to wait anymore. Cause we're right here!" Kai clicked his tongue, sauntering up to the duo from behind _alone_. He carried with him a blaster, significantly larger than the gun Jay had stolen off of Chief Garmadon, and more effective.

"What'd I miss, Chief?" He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Jay standing alive and well next to who he presumed to be Cole, wearing one of the Oni Masks.

However, Garmadon wasn't paying attention to that, confused as to why there was only _one _of the Smith siblings. "Where is Nya?"

"She-"

"Woah! Look at this!" Lloyd whistled, stealing the blaster from Kai and pointing it at Jay. "Now we're even," he smirked.

Jay inched closer towards Cole when he saw the weapon in Lloyd's hands. "Cole, what do we _do_?" More importantly, where was Pixal and his ship? What was taking her so long?

The thief turned around.

The second he was about to suggest making a run for it, Nya showed up on the other side of them, sporting her own weaponry. A flail.

"Check out what I found lying around in the weapons room?" She grinned, twirling the stick part of it around in her hands. "There's a whole _bunch_ of combat weapons in there. Pretty neat, huh?"

"If by 'neat' you mean absolutely terrifying, then _yes_," Jay chirped, keeping the gun at eye level with Garmadon.

In a heartbeat, Nya swung it at them. Given how little time Jay had to process any of it, he froze, waiting to be knocked back by the spiked ball at the end of the chain. Instead, Cole leaped in front of him, the tip of the flail shattering upon impact with Cole's invulnerable body.

Nya shrieked, seeing nothing left of her flail. No wonder people stopped using those kinds of weapons. She tossed it to the side, picking out a couple of gadgets from her coat pockets.

One of them unfurled into a holographic, electric, type of whip, which Nya thrust at Cole.

Taking advantage of his cold, magma stone armor, Cole gripped the end of the string, tugging Nya in his direction until she was all tangled up in it and thrown against the wall.

Jay grinned, shooting Cole a look. "We just need to buy Pix some time so she can bring my ship around. You got Lloyd, I'll take the other two?"

"With pleasure," Cole agreed, sprinting past Jay and straight at the Chief's son.

As Cole tackled Lloyd and the blaster, the pirate switched on the gun's safety before charging right at Kai. The detective yelped, jumping out of the way and feeling his pockets for anything else he could use against Jay since Lloyd stole his. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to search when Jay cut through the air with the gun, just barely missing Kai's head.

"Ahah, almost got me there!" Kai lunged at Jay's legs, throwing him against the ground roughly. He wrestled for the gun out of Jay's hands but was knocked back when Jay kicked the detective off with his two feet.

Meanwhile, Lloyd was in a losing battle against Cole. No matter how many times he fired at the thief, the mask protected him. It was impossible unless he didn't have the mask.

Lloyd continued to shoot at him, even after he tripped over his own feet for walking backwards. He rolled on the pavement, still shooting.

"Give it _up_, pipsqueak. As long as I have this mask, I-" A sharp cry escaped Cole when the mask was shot off his face unintentionally by lloyd. _Literally_ unintentionally. Lloyd had not _thought_ of that until he misaimed and knocked the mask off Cole rightfully. Cole put a hand to his cheek, feeling only the soft flesh of skin instead of stone. "Oh."

Without much left to lose, Lloyd shot again. But Cole was semi-quick to dodge it. The blast had _just_ grazed the upper right arm, singing the suit and leaving a large, nasty, burn. He bit his lip, holding back the pain from spilling from his lips.

Jay deflected a punch from Kai, keeping his eye trained on Cole. Much to his dismay, he wasn't aware of Garmadon when the Chief clobbered him in the head with the gun he had dropped.

He winced, falling to a knee as he rubbed the top of his head.

Garmadon held the gun to his head. Although he wasn't actually planning to pull the trigger, it was more so to threaten the youngin. Jay squinted up at him, blinking at the gun to his head. "Stand down, Jay."

Behind them, Cole had rolled to the ground, kicking Lloyd out from underneath, fighting through the pain on his arm. Lloyd lost his balance and stumbled backwards as Cole grabbed his arm, ripping the blaster from his hand. His fist collided with Lloyd's chest and the young man fell on his bottom.

Cole held the blaster to the back of Garmadon's head with the same warning he had given Jay.

"Shoot him and I'll shoot you."

Garmadon raised his shoulders, laughing at how very forward Cole was. He raised his hands in the air slowly, turning around to meet the criminal face to face.

"It looks like we are in a bit of a sticky predicament. Put down your weapon, Cole. And I'll put down mine."

"Likely story."

Cole's hands tightened. From a distance, Pixal caught his eye, holding the bag of Oni Masks and standing at the foot of Jay's ship. Cole made eye contact with Jay, nodding him in Pixal's direction.

Quietly and carefully, Jay slipped away.

But Garmadon was quick to notice and targeted Jay. Cole's eyes widened and out of impulse, he shot Garmadon in the thigh, following the space pirate to the ship. He turned around once more, holding the blaster out defensively as he stared down the Chief, who had already let them go as Kai rushed to examine the wound.

Suddenly, the doors swung open and Skylor came running out with Zane by her side. "Chief Garmadon! It's Harumi… we can't find her."

* * *

Jay fell back into a chair, patting his head with a damp rag.

Currently, Pixal was flying them somewhere high in the sky where no one could spot or reach them. The camouflage cloaking device worked in their favor too.

The only thing on his mind now, however, was the simple fact and big relief that they had made it out of there. He wasn't sure what was going to happen with Harumi, sure, but they got the masks. He got Cole back. He got _Pixal_ back too.

"How is your head?" Said android asked him, gently rubbing his forehead for any kind of injury.

After a couple more pats, Jay lowered the rag. "I'm fine."

Pixal smiled warmly and Jay returned it. Earlier, while Jay had been tending to his aching head, he decided to use the time to fill Pixal in on everything that happened after he was nabbed by Cole. Why Pixal couldn't remember anything from before, and why he was allowing Cole to stay.

"It's good to have you back, Pix." His eye wandered over to the dimly lit hall where Cole sat alone in Jay's bedroom. He stood up from the chair shakily, falling onto the table once but quickly regaining his balance. "How's Cole?"

"Well," she answered, sliding back behind the wheel.

Taking that as a "yes, you can go see him", Jay fetched some supplies from his tinkering table - a pair of scissors, a clean damp rag, and a roll of medical tape - and wandered into his room, only to find Cole standing by the photo wall with a very serious expression on his face.

"Hey," Jay muttered, closing the door halfway. "How's the arm?"

Though it hadn't really shocked Cole that Jay had snuck in quietly like he always did, he still turned around in a hurry, cheeks warm. Neither of them had changed out of their suits either. Cole, because he had nothing else to change into, and Jay, because he was too out of it to even bother.

Cole's other hand hovered over the burn, his shoulders shrugging. When they got back, Pixal had provided Cole with tools she believed would have been helpful in soothing the spot. Some ice, a cream, sanitizing wipes… While they did somewhat sooth the pain, Cole was still wary about it.

"Could be better," he deadpanned, running a hand through his dark hair.

Jay walked up to him, holding out Cole's wounded arm. He cut off the sleeve using the scissors and dabbed the wound with the rag gently. Cole winced under its touch, watching as Jay unravelled the tape and bound it tightly around the burn.

"I think that should do it," he told him, going in to pat it before pulling away for fear it might hurt Cole again.

Cole croaked out a small "Thanks".

There was a heavy tension between the two of them. Although the two of them had made up, to some degree, at the event, both could tell of the uncertainty of it all that lingered. No one really had time to confess everything. All of it rudely interrupted by Harumi and her desire to be a hero in the galaxy, whilst also hurting people in the process.

And Jay knew a simple kiss couldn't solve _all_ their problems. Or could it?

It was painful, standing face to face with Cole, when no one dared to speak first. What were they supposed to say?

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

Cole sat down on Jay's bed, hands on the edge. "I got away, but what else can I do? I'm just supposed to keep running? Forever?"

Jay was taken by surprise, moving over to sit by Cole. He tilted his head at him questionably. "Isn't that what you've always been doing?"

"Not with someone else before," Cole curled his fingers tighter around the sheets. If Cole had noticed Jay was carefully inching his hand closer to his, he paid no mind to it. "Doesn't really help now that I've put you in danger, too… At first I wanted it… to run away with you. But now we've got a real threat on our tail and-"

His heart thumped when Jay put his hand over his.

The space pirate slipped his fingers between Cole's, taking a moment to admire how flustered Cole was. "Look, we've obviously still got to work out some of the kinks. But, I like you, and I don't mind running all over the stars together."

Cole bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes flickering to their intertwined fingers.

"We can lay low for a bit. Stay here or travel the galaxy." Jay lifted their hands, squeezing Cole's gently, "But I want to do it with _you_."

Cole's eyes twinkled, holding Jay's hand back.

"What- No, what was it? I mean, what happened? After I kissed you?"

Jay sighed, fiddling with the fabric around his legs nervously. "Well… I guess it wasn't that I didn't _like_ you. It was just so sudden, I didn't have any time to process a thing. I mean, I was _supposed_ to bring you in for a reward, but you really grew on me, didn't you?" He swung his legs idly over the edge. "It wasn't until you were gone that I realized I messed up big time, and all I wanted was to get you back."

"That's _really_ sappy, Cap," Cole laughed, causing Jay to roll his eyes. "But it's sweet."

"Gee, thanks," Jay joked. However, his heart sunk.

"I'm sorry. Again. For lying to you, for breaking your trust, for hurting you." He took a deep breath, pulling his hand away from Cole's. The thief's eyes quivered, suddenly feeling much colder at the loss of touch. However, the shakiness in Jay's voice was more prominent now. Cole could see just how much he regretted every bit of it. How every ounce of his body was scolding him for the actions made in the past.

"You didn't deserve that from me. I- _I _shouldn't have done that... Man, I fell in love with a criminal. I should have totally seen that coming- You- you don't want to hear me ramble... I'm just _really_ sorry, and I want to make it up to you. Ugh," Jay raised his hands over his eyes, groaning. "I don't stop talking, do I?"

Cole leaned over to wrap an arm around his waist. "No, I like it. You said it yourself, Captain. There's still a couple kinks we gotta work out, and talking is a good first start."

Jay inhaled shakily. "Yeah. Right. Okay."

"But, uh, first can we find something new for me to wear? I _really_ don't want to have to wear this suit forever. It's _very_ uncomfortable."

Jay wet his lips, then snickered. "Yeah, alright."

* * *

**Lol, haha no it's not over. Also, Harumi escaped, and the boys don't even know! Yet.**


	11. At Least it was Here

**Okay, now everything's slightly shaping up to be on the same track as my space au on tumblr :P Sorry! I started binging Community at the wrong time and got super distracted by it, but I really wanted to come out with something this week.**

* * *

Three days. That was how long Cole had been on Jay's ship since the night the Oni Masks were revealed. And it was the day after that when Gayle Gossip, the biggest, hottest, sensational news channel across the stars, delivered the warning that Harumi had escaped. However, Harumi's M.I.A. wasn't the only thing that startled him, it was the bounties marked over both him _and_ Jay's heads.

At first glance, Jay appeared to be terribly uncomfortable with the realization.

Having a bounty over his head only implied that he had done something bad. And Jay didn't like being labeled as the "bad guy". But, Jay knew exactly what he was doing the second his heart decided it would beat only for Cole.

Then, there was the fact that Harumi was legitimately missing and there were no known updates about her.

Cole was more worried about it than Jay was. After all, he was the one who misguided her and threw her under the bus. She was hardly terrifying to him, if he were being plainly honest. She was just annoying. And twisted.

Currently, Cole sat on the bed. _His_ bed.

Jay figured that if Cole was going to be crashing at his place, he might as well have his own room. Plus, it was decided after that night at the museum when the two of them had unknowingly passed out in Jay's room on his bed.

It was right next to Pixal's quarters and just across from Jay's. There wasn't anything "special" inside of it. Cole didn't want to make the room _his_. Because if he made it "his", then that would mean he was committing to it. And he didn't want to settle down, let alone stay on Jay's ship for the rest of his life. He just needed a place to lay low for a while.

But Jay didn't _want_ him to leave. And unfortunately, he didn't want to leave Jay either. Yet, the two of them weren't… actually dating. Not yet, at least. Yes, they confessed. Yes, they showed their affection. And yes, they were hopelessly in love. But neither of them came forward to specifically ask to be in a relationship.

Cole just wasn't sure how to. The whole idea of it made his head spin. And Jay? He figured Jay was all the same. _Especially_ after the incident when he first gave him the room.

"_So, I thought, if you're going to be here," Jay opened the door ever so slightly, pulling Cole inside, "might as well give you a room, right?"_

_It was as big as Jay's, if not slightly bigger looking because of how empty it was. Cole didn't know what to say. Instead he wandered into the room, speechless. Why was he getting so worked up over a room? He didn't know. But he could feel Jay's excitement as the little space pirate watched him from the door._

_That cute, adorable, smile Cole couldn't get enough of was now right beside him, holding his hand tightly._

"_It's… empty, but I, uh, I thought if you wanted to _put stuff _in it," Jay shut his eye, biting his lip nervously._

"_It's really thoughtful." Cole told him._

_The two stood there for a while awkwardly, Jay still holding onto Cole's hand._

_They turned to face one another. Jay, staring into Cole's eyes and Cole the same. A part of himself was screaming at him to just kiss Cole. But the moment didn't feel right. Either that or Jay just didn't feel quite comfortable after the first two times._

_A beat and Cole grinned, a little goofy looking._

_Jay returned the gesture, trying to keep his eyes up _here_, where Cole's eyes were_, _instead of down _there_, where Cole's lips were._

_A few seconds passed and Jay let go of Cole like he was touching a hot pan, quickly giving Cole's hand a pat before scampering off to the door. "Right! Okay. Um, well, I'm going to go… see what… Pixal is up to… bye!"_

The memory was forever seared into his head because of the second Jay had tripped over his cape, falling onto the floor face first before hustling back onto his feet and rushing off.

* * *

"It's been three days and none of us have been able to find Harumi. More or less pick up a lead as to where she might be hiding," Chief Garmadon stated very plainly, sweeping his eyes around the conference room where Nya, Kai, and Lloyd all sat. Ever since Harumi had gone missing, Garmadon jumped on the case immediately.

Her actions couldn't go unexcused.

Nya raised her hand meeky, looking from Lloyd to Kai before Garmadon acknowledged her question. "With all due respect, Sir, what threat could she be outside of the force?"

"You're right, Nya. She no longer works here. I already filled out the forms that lay off her internship, but that doesn't mean we can't still be on the lookout."

Kai sat at the edge of his seat, tilting his head at Garmadon in question. "Chief, what did she do?"

"Were you two unaware of the Hypnobrai's necklace she had around her neck? Using it to manipulate another officer and anyone else in her case is far from illegal. It's not right." Garmadon picked up his comm from the podium, being met once again with no new messages from Skylor.

"Not only did she think that it was okay to manipulate people, but she put together an elaborate scheme, putting my life and Pixal's in danger, to steal the Oni Masks that night. My Son filled me in on everything," he gestured towards Lloyd without breaking eye contact from Kai, "None of it was Cole's idea."

"But he still got away with the masks-"

Garmadon waved Kai's comment away.

"Crimes such as these, Kai, cannot go unpunished."

* * *

He and Cole should have been together by now.

But Jay was just too awkward about it! He didn't know where to start or how to start it. They kissed. _Twice_. But that wasn't enough. Something always got in the way whenever they kissed. At least the last time Jay was able to tell Cole the truth.

He'd thought about it for a while now, well actually, the two nights he was given, and Jay wanted to finally be able to stick a pin in it. If Cole couldn't come forward and ask to start something between them, then Jay would.

He was on his way to the kitchen now, swiping through pictures on his comm.

"I've been digging around and I found some cool things that Cole might like," he said as he wandered into the kitchen where Pixal sat at the table with a brand new comm in front of her since she lost the last one to Harumi.

Jay jumped onto the counter, swinging his legs above the floor as he swiped through his comm. A small bubble of laughter escaped him. "Actually, no, I'm just trying to find an excuse to be alone with-"

"Shouldn't you be more worried about Harumi?" The android curled her lips, looking at Jay with some worry.

"I never said I _wasn't_ worried about her."

"Yes. Of course you didn't, Jay," Pixal mocked.

The space pirate leaned back on one arm, waving her off. "Well, what do you want me to say? What can we even do about it?"

"Worry about Harumi."

"You know, I think the most we can do is keep our eyes peeled for her _and_ anyone else. Besides, Pix, we're wanted!"

"Not 'we', you and Cole."

Jay rolled his eyes, dropping the comm into his lap. "Technically, you're helping us," he tossed out coolly, smirking at her.

"I am not-"

"You're just as bad as us! Hah"

Pixal stood up from her chair, a "False. There is no bounty over my head."

The space pirate jumped down from the counter, pointing fingers at Pixal as she stormed out of the room. "But you're helping criminals! Ha ha! Can't argue against that one, can you?"

His voice faltered as soon as Pixal left and Cole walked inside, in her place. He looked frazzled. Had he just woken up or something? His new vest reminded Jay of the old one Cole used to wear. Which was probably the point since Cole was the one who picked it out in the first place.

"Hey. Uh, good morning!" Jay smacked his lips together as Cole waltzed right by him, grabbing an empty glass and filling it with cold water.

Cole smiled at him warmly, "Hey. Morning?" He pulled out a stool and took a seat.

"Listen, so, uh," Jay started, sliding up next to Cole, "Since we're kinda stuck together- I mean here! Um, you know, we're basically "wanted men"-" Jay began to fumble with his fingers as his mouth tripped over the words. Cole put down the glass of water and looked at him patiently.

"- which means you're not really doing anything, right? I thought maybe we should, or _could_, yeah could, do something together… you know?"

The space pirate's cheeks were insanely pink now. And Cole figured it was because of how much Jay felt like he was embarrassing himself.

"Jay, have you eaten breakfast?"

"We should go on a date!" He blurted, squeezing his eye shut and holding his breath out of fear that Cole would laugh at him or worse, reject him.

The awkward silence, however, made Jay frantically worried and he snapped open an eye, only to find Cole was no longer in front of him. Jay gaped, drumming his fingers against the counter sadly. Cole… left.

Maybe Jay made a mistake.

To his demise, his legs wouldn't move, keeping him rooted to the floor where he only felt like a complete mess. He took a deep breath, forcing his feet to take him out of the kitchen. That was until a voice stopped him from behind.

"I'd like to."

"Ah!" Jay screamed, stumbling over the stool. Cole grabbed him by the arm, keeping him upright. "You…"

"Sorry, I thought it would be funny," Cole admitted, noting Jay's lovestruck expression. "But, uh, yeah. I'd like that date."

* * *

Harumi had escaped. That was all that mattered for now.

She still had Pixal's comm too. Which was a huge plus to her advantage. The only problem was that it was still paired to Jay's comm. She didn't want to take any risks and had switched off the comm's tracking until she found someone that could help her problem.

Speaking of someone, Harumi had overheard something about a guy named Ronin.

In fact, Ronin's shop was where she was headed right this very second. Hidden beneath a cloak and hood, she stepped inside the store with only one goal in mind: to find this Ronin and get him to do some of her dirty work.

"Hello?" Harumi wandered towards the table in the middle, dropping her hood.

The soft thud of footsteps alerted her and she focused her attention to the back where the man who she assumed was Ronin stepped into the light.

He put down a polished set of communicator pens, acknowledging Harumi's presence but not making eye contact.

"Whatcha here for, Sweetheart? My time's short but if you got money…"

Harumi wrinkled her nose, disgusted by his quick and snappy introduction. Her eyes fluttered to the two holographic posters at the end of the table.

"A little birdie told me that you work for pay."

Ronin's head snapped up. "I'm listening."

"What if I told you I could give you something better than money," Harumi pulled the comm from her pocket, sliding it across the table and towards Ronin.

"You're giving me a comm?" The man scoffed, pushing it back at her. "Thanks, but no thanks. You can get those anywhere."

Her eyes flashed and Harumi forced the comm in front of Ronin. "_No_, idiot. If you can fix this for me, extract any data from it that you can, I'll give you something worth more than a silly comm. The Teapot of Tyrhan? A room full of treasures your eye couldn't behold?"

Ronin leaned closer, his interest now peaked. His hand trickled over the comm, picking it up like it was something too fragile to be messed with. He eyed Harumi with a mischievous grin. "Alright. It's a deal."

After a firm handshake, Harumi started for the door, right before Ronin stopped her again.

"Wait. Your price… it's too big for just a comm. What else do you want?"

Halfway out the door, she glanced over her shoulder at the man, pointing to the holographic posters. "Find me their whereabouts."

* * *

"Why are we here?" Cole grimaced, holding back a scowl as the ship lowered onto the roof of the museum he could now say he had been to _three _times. The first time he was here, it was to steal the Yin Blade. Which unfortunately spiraled out of his control when a certain _space pirate_ decided to follow him inside. The second time, well it wasn't very long ago when Harumi had dragged him here to steal the Oni Masks for her. Tonight was the third night.

Jay stuffed a couple of small gadgets into his bag before walking up to stand next to Cole in front of the hangar doors.

Stepping onto the roof, Jay waved at Pixal as she steered the ship away, leaving the two of them alone at the top. "Well, you did agree to go on a date with me."

Cole glanced around the top of the museum at which they were standing. "Here?" He acknowledged the rain that had started to pour from the dark sky. "When it's raining, too? This was pretty well executed if you ask me," he blabbered sarcastically.

"Shh, just follow my lead." With a smirk, Jay took Cole's hand and led him to the edge of the giant dome roof. He fished for the laser pen he brought with him, carving a hole big enough for them both to drop in. Cole caught his toothy smile when the space pirate pulled out the rope, dropping it into the hole as he held onto the top end.

Jay crawled over to the stub at the edge of the roof and tightly tied the rope around it. Quickly, he held up a single finger over his lips at Cole before sliding down the rope into the museum. Cole was fast to follow him in, landing next to Jay.

Prepared for every situation, Jay presented a cloth from his bag, using it to dry both him and Cole's feet so as to not leave a trail and not make any noise.

As they crept around the dimly lit halls, Cole couldn't help but get the slightest feeling that this was more than just a "date". He could feel his criminal instincts taking over him and he wanted so badly to take over leading. "What kind of a date is this?"

The space pirate held up a hand, waving Cole over to where he stood in front of a giant glass case.

Cole scampered over beside him, only to be met with the Yin Blade.

"Woah." Was the only thing he could say at that moment.

Jay reached into the bag, revealing another, folded up sack meant to carry the Yin Blade in. He flapped it once until the folds were undone and handed it to Cole. "I believe the honor is all _yours_."

Without another thought, Cole tore the bag out of Jay's hands and carefully removed the top of the case. Once the blade was neatly wrapped between the cloth, Cole turned to Jay, not knowing what to say.

"Just so I'm clear on this… this was a _date_. Right?"

"Well… not entirely. This was just the start. I wanted to make it up to you since I spoiled the caper the first time."

Cole closed his eyes, tossing the bag over a shoulder. "Thanks," he paused, "... Jay."

Jay's heart leapt in his chest. He'd never heard Cole say his name that way before. And if he were being frankly honest with himself, he liked it more than Cole calling him 'Captain' all the time. He wanted to hear him say it again.

But something strange caught his eye from afar. With pursed lips, he directed his attention to the center of the museum where the lights grew brighter.

"Freeze! This is the cops!" Skylor's voice pierced through their ears sharply.

Jay bounced on his toes. He thought they had been quiet enough sneaking in! What brought Skylor _here_? His mind raced fast in his head as he came up with a way out.

"Oh. Come on this wasn't part of your plan was it-" And with that, Jay had pulled Cole back in the direction from which they came. Except instead of climbing the rope to get out, Jay spotted a back exit and led him there.

"Um, judging by the look on your face… this wasn't a part of the date, was it?"

"Nope!" Jay led Cole around back. Curse him for letting Pixal take off without them. "But we can make this work." He yelped when a large drop of water landed on his head from the edge of the roof.

"Work? Jay, w-"

Jay dragged him through the rain, kicking water onto the back of his cape and Cole's pants and vest. Luckily for them, there weren't that many people out in the streets at this hour. The sound of sirens, however, grew louder and got his heart racing, to which he picked up the speed, hoping he wasn't moving too fast for Cole to keep up with.

They were supposed to go out for some food afterwards! That was his plan. Not be foiled by getting caught. Then again, the two of them were both wanted, but the chances of people recognizing their faces where Jay had planned to take them was oh so very slim. Still, he couldn't help but be enraged with how easily everything had fallen apart after Skylor had decided to show up and ruin his plans.

"Jay, shouldn't we call Pixal or something?"

No, they weren't. And no, he wasn't going to let some silly cop interference get in the way of the rest of his plans.

He pulled Cole into an abandoned alleyway.

"We just have to wait it out until they leave," Jay muttered, poking his head out as a couple cop cars passed them by. He wiped the water off of his face, reaching into his bag for his comm. The small screen lit up to showcase an entire evening of plans Jay had scheduled for the two of them.

Cole raised a brow, curious.

"What's that?"

"Nothing. It's nothing." He huffed, continuing to scroll through his comm.

"Are you okay?" Dropping the bag onto a small pile of boxes, Cole held out an arm, holding onto Jay's wrist.

Jay hastily switched off the device, staring at the ground in shame. "I'm fine. I just- I wanted to make it official tonight."

Confused by the word "official", Cole tilted his head.

"We _like_ each other. But, I can't kiss you without feeling awkward about it. Something is just off-putting. Something's _missing_. Maybe it was the first two times we kissed." Jay rubbed his arms meekly, making himself feel smaller. "How ridiculous is that? Acting like all I want is to kiss you… but I do."

Cole frowned, diverting his gaze to the ground. He knew exactly what Jay meant and how Jay felt. At least Jay had the guts to do something about it.

When Cole looked back up at Jay, he found the space pirate to be also staring at the puddles. The rain water dripped onto Jay's head, his hair clinging to his damp forehead. Cole snuck a hand beneath that clump of hair and brushed it away from his eyes.

"I want to kiss you too."

Jay looked him straight in the eye.

Cole fumbled for Jay's hand, intertwining their fingers. He pressed his lips against Jay's, the beating of his heart getting louder. And Jay melted, his legs turning into putty, helpless to Cole's touch.

This… this felt real. A genuine feeling from the two of them.

What really brought it home for him was when Cole pulled away, a lovestruck look in his eyes when he said, "And, I think… we should start dating."


	12. Bless My Sanity

**I'mmmmmm back! Sorry this chapter is a little short! Hope y'all are staying safe and fairing well.**

* * *

"Guess what?!"

Cole jolted awake in bed, still in a half asleep state.

Ever since they started dating, Jay had wanted to try doing "couple things", as he liked to call it, together. Stuff like holding hands and eating together.

It worked, for the most part. Jay also managed to get Cole to start showing more affection and more open. He got Cole to communicate with his emotions and be a little less stoic at times. But, when Cole didn't know how to handle his emotions, he would often remedy his feelings through a kiss. Just like the first time he had kissed Jay, confused about his feelings for him.

And since they really had no other place to go, Jay had managed to keep him up all night the past few nights. Some nights, Jay would send Pixal off to her quarters and show Cole the ropes of the ship. Much less, _teach_ him.

Nonetheless, he hadn't been able to get much sleep. And Cole liked his beauty rests. Not to mention napping. When it was just him, he would dedicate certain parts of the day to a cat nap or two.

The thief blinked his eyes a couple of times, letting his vision come into focus. He spotted the space pirate at the door, the biggest smile on his face as he held his comm in one hand. Cole moaned and fell back into bed, turning onto his side so that his back was facing Jay and the door.

He felt a dip in the mattress when the pirate sat down at the edge of his bed, peering over his sleeping form.

A small beeping noise told Cole that J-Bot had followed him inside.

"Ah. Well. Hello to you too, J-Bot. And Cole, get up!"

Cole furrowed his brows and ducked his head under the covers.

That was another thing he forgot.

Jay was insufferable, ever since they had started dating. But, in the adorable, kind of way. Jay could bother him, but he wouldn't _ever_ get tired of it. Nor would he dismiss Jay for being so. The little pirate would bug him with random shower thoughts, facts about animals that he most definitely did not need to know, favorite films and foods, and everything that excited him.

And he couldn't stay mad at him for too long. It was… impossible.

The sheets shifted, and Cole moved away from the pirate.

"Jay, I'm pooped. Leave me alone." He droned from beneath the sheets.

The space pirate frowned, bending closer to peel back the blanket from Cole's head.

"I know, but," he sighed, hoping Cole would turn to look at him, "I wanna show you what I found! It's been a week and all we've done is hide up in the sky, jumping from town to town."

"Because that's all we _can_ do, Jay." Cole huffed. His back hunched and he grappled for the end of the blanket Jay had pulled away. A frown graced the pirate's face and he tore the entire blanket off of him, exposing Cole to the chilly, gentle air inside his room.

"No! It's not." Jay poked Cole's back. "Okay, just hear me out first. I've been talking with my dad-"

Suddenly, did Cole's eyes snap open.

"You were talking to your dad? How come this is the first I've heard of him?"

Jay's gut clenched and he scooted further onto the bed, moving closer to Cole as if to soothe himself. He pulled out his comm from behind, handing it over to the thief to look at.

A private message thread between the pirate and his father popped up in Cole's face. Jay reached over and scrolled through it, showing Cole the long chain of messages back and forth. Clearly they had been talking _a lot_.

The thief sat up in bed.

"Well. He's not my real dad. At least, not to me, anyways." Jay pointed to the name at the top of the chat.

CLIFF GORDON.

"Gordon?" Cole wrinkled his brows.

Jay sighed, pulling his cape over his head. "I'm adopted. Remember? But I don't want to put my parents in danger. Especially when they're like… the sweetest, most nicest, caring people I know. So I asked my," he winced, "_real_ dad, my biological father, to help us out."

"And you really think that's a good idea?" Cole asked him. After all, he had his doubts and reservations.

"Yes. Maybe." Jay's eye flickered to Cole for a brief moment.

"Does he even _know_ you're a space pirate? That you take things that aren't yours?" Cole clenched his fist. "Does he know about _me_?"

Jay stood up from the bed, wandering over to the empty dresser in Cole's room. He rested against it, looking down at the floor as he tucked his head between his shoulders anxiously. "No. Of course not." Jay huffed. "Cole, I don't talk to him about my personal life, nor my love life!"

Cole fell back into bed, staring hopelessly up at the ceiling. "Well then what are the chances he'd turn us in? I'm sure he's seen the posters."

Jay ruffled his brows. "You're just afraid that if we do so much as to let down our guard and settle down someplace, that we'll get caught."

The thief shut his eyes, turning his head away from Jay. He didn't want to deal with this. Not at this hour. Not when he was still half asleep. "I didn't _say_ that_._" He hissed.

The pirate wrinkled his nose, throwing the blanket onto the floor. "But you thought about it. Say _it_."

"Say what?"

"Say that you don't want to settle down because you're afraid that something bad will happen. Say it."

For a second, Cole only stared. He couldn't deny the truth behind Jay's words. Yet, he wanted nothing more than to prove Jay wrong. If anything, he was more concerned about accepting help from someone who wasn't on their side.

A sigh left him and he looked Jay in the eye. "I'm not going to say that."

Cole lowered his voice, sliding off the bed. He started for the door, J-Bot trailing behind him. He dared to look back at Jay. "And I think you're in too far over your head. If you don't like your father, what makes you trust him anyways?"

* * *

It took a while, but Harumi finally found Cole's old hideout. Something Jay could never find, regardless of the fact that he was hired to anyways.

The place was surprisingly kept clean. That was, considering that Cole had the tendency to hop from place to place, using this abandoned warehouse as a home base. Nonetheless, Harumi was surprised at how easily she managed to find it. Let alone, find the dozens of stolen artifacts inside.

Ronin would be pleased. After all, she had promised him "a room full of treasures" in exchange for any information he could extract from Pixal's comm without it being linked to Jay's.

There were items like the Teapot of Tyrahn and the Sword of Sanctuary stored on Cole's shelves. Artifacts lined up from one end to another, decorating the room. But that wasn't all.

Harumi found the original, actual, Hypnobrai staff. And many others. Cole had stolen the _entire_ collection of staffs and antivenom.

She grabbed the staff of the Hypnobrai, seeing how nicely intact everything still was. This was better than her pendant ever could be. It was a miracle Lloyd had gotten rid of it and she had stumbled upon _this_.

Yet, the bigger miracle was if she could find Doctor Borg, and force him to create a device that would allow her complete and total control of someone else using the pieces of the staff.

Still, Harumi wasn't done yet.

As she wandered about Cole's hideout some more, she discovered a box labeled "DO NOT TOUCH" sitting in the corner, untouched.

Such a fatal mistake for Cole to label the box that way.

Curious and intrigued, Harumi went through it.

* * *

Ronin had just finished unpairing Pixal's comm with Jay's when the sibling detectives wandered into his store, serious looks on their faces. Quickly, Ronin hid the comm on a shelf beneath the counter before swinging over the edge and greeting them with the friendliest smile he could offer.

"Welcome in, detectives. What brings you in, today?"

Kai parted from Nya, observing the store while Nya sniffed out Ronin. Chief Garmadon had assigned the two of them on the case to track down Cole, and Jay if possible. His son had been tasked with the glory of hunting down Harumi.

Nya pulled out her device, projecting the holographic WANTED posters of Jay and Cole. "We got a tip that these two were seen entering and leaving your store. Can you tell me where they might have gone?"

"Sorry, Sweetheart, but that was weeks ago. They haven't dropped by since. Lucky them, I guess."

Nya muttered curses under her breath, putting away the device.

"You wouldn't mind if I took a look around your store then, would you?"

There was a small moment of silence before Ronin shrugged, stepping aside to allow Nya full access to the store.

Truthfully, there wasn't much to search. Firstly, because the store wasn't very big. Secondly, because Ronin's store was free of any leads or clues that could aid Nya and Kai. So, it wasn't long before the two of them ran into each other again, on opposite sides of a shelf.

"Kai, have you found anything?" Nya asked him from between the bookcase. Her brother shook his head, sliding his comm towards her.

"You think they went off the grid or something? Think about it. Cole stole the Yin Blade like he originally intended to last week. Since then, it's just been so quiet. No one's seen them since."

Nya took the comm off the shelf, scrolling through their files on Jay and Cole. Both were incomplete. Both had been cut off and marked "unknown" under whereabouts.

"No, I _refuse_ to believe that they just… disappeared!" She snapped her head in Ronin's direction. "You! Do you have _any_ idea of where they might have gone?"

Ronin, who had fiddled with Pixal's comm, which had been initially paired with Jay's, knew that they were hiding somewhere up in the sky. However, Ronin had no intention of telling anyone else of what he found lest they were Harumi.

So, he shook his head with fake disappointment. "Sorry, kid. I don't."

* * *

Cole stood by a full body window, looking down on the city from above the clouds.

Truthfully, a part of him longed to be back on the ground. To feel the dirt and concrete beneath his feet. Luckily for him, Jay's ship had a small deck which Cole would wander out onto from time to time. Just to feel the wind against his face again.

Pixal stood beside him, noting the longing in his eyes and the hopeful expression as the thief glanced down below.

"Something is troubling you. What is it?"

The thief hadn't noticed Pixal's presence and shifted uncomfortably when he heard her voice clear. His eyes flickered in Pixal's direction for a brief moment, acknowledging the concern that plastered her face. Cole had never really talked much with Pixal before. He failed to see why he shouldn't start now.

"I don't know…" He sighed, eyes locked on the rooftops. "I guess I kinda just miss it down there."

"But you are much safer up here." Pixal struggled to grasp at Cole's words. "What is it exactly that you miss?"

A smile crept up Cole's face and he turned to look at Pixal. "The thrill. Of running and hiding. I know Jay's only trying to keep me hidden. And safe. And I appreciate it. But I miss being a thief."

"So then, why do you disapprove of meeting his birth father?"

At that, Cole's shoulders tensed and his breath caught in the back of his throat. "That's… none of your business. I'm leaving."

He curled a fist, storming out of the room and into the kitchen. Anywhere to get away from Pixal.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. It was just like Jay had said. He was afraid, had they let their guard down even just for the slightest, that they would be found out. Worse, _he_ would be caught and thrown in prison. Settling down was never his thing. He'd already established that when Jay gave him his own room.

Cole opened the fridge, raiding it for any snacks Jay might have had.

Even under the circumstances he was in now, Cole still didn't want to take any chances. Being found out by Jay's father was worse than getting caught in the middle of a caper. And that was because he never got caught.

Cole picked out a small box of cheese and crackers.

He could feel all the pent up frustration from earlier trapped inside of him.

He sighed, stuffing a couple of crackers into his mouth. Regardless of how often Jay tried to help him navigate his emotions, Cole still hated them. But he figured, it helped now that he had someone to talk to about them.

One of the downfalls of working alone, he guessed. But now. Now he had Jay.

Cole stuffed another cracker and cube of cheese into his mouth, feeding on the snack hungrily.

"Hey. Don't eat too fast. You're gonna upset your stomach. Or worse, you might choke. And, frankly, I don't want to have to perform CPR on you. You're pretty big."

Cole froze mid bite, eyes wandering over to Jay, who stood idly by the door.

"Yeah, well, eating is just another one of my habits when I'm stressed." Cole set the still full container down on the counter and reached for his glass of water.

"You're stressed?" Jay blinked up at him in shock. "Why are you stressed?"

Cole didn't answer, nor did he have any time to answer when Jay rushed up to him, putting a hand over his forehead as if he were checking for a fever. Jay's one eye widened, looking over Cole with genuine concern.

"Was it me? Is it about my dad? Look. Listen. I- we don't have to stay there. I just thought we could have used the help. He's _rich_. He's got tons of stuff! We could just fly by and pick up some things-"

Cole grabbed Jay's hand, pulling it away from his forehead. "Jay, it's not that."

The pirate stared at him dumbfounded. "It's not?"

"I mean, it is but," Cole put his face in his hands, "it's me, Captain."

Jay's jaw opened a crack. He gaped at him. "You?"

"I'm just angry at myself, ok?" Cole flailed his arms in the air dramatically. "And I'm _terrified_ to admit that _yes!_ I don't want to settle down. And I'm angry that I'm up _here_ and not down _there_." At that, Jay visibly tensed. Which, Cole felt a little guilty about. He had no intention of making Jay feel bad about keeping him up here.

"Jay-"

"I get it." His gaze fell to the floor, sad. "You like the dirt beneath your feet. You miss stealing stuff or whatever. You must be going nuts in there… You must have been pretty bored all week."

Jay added the last part in a whisper. Which Cole had caught.

Cole let go of the breath he didn't realize he had been holding in. That last part had been a total understatement. Feeling bored was different than missing something. If anything, the only thing that kept him from getting to the ultimate stage of boredom was having Jay around.

He showed him how to fly the ship.

He kept him up during the night about the silliest of things.

He kept him entertained with J-Bot, games, and stories.

He taught him how to navigate his emotions, even if it didn't work half the time.

Cole looked at Jay's hands, which were now shaking. And Cole felt _terrible_.

Right. Emotions. He would talk about it all with Jay later. Maybe over dinner. But for now...

He leaned forward, leaving a kiss on Jay's forehead as he grappled for the pirate's small hands.

"No." Cole ducked his head so that he was eye level with Jay. "Captain, you're the only thing keeping me sane."


	13. Keep Your Heart Open

**Woof, I haven't updated since the beginning of this month? Ehehhfgh. Bear with me, I am trying to churn stuff out. Just... very, very slowly. Italicizes? Weren't on last time? I went back in and fixed it. Don't mind me though, constantly just changing my name. Trying to find a good one.**

* * *

Cole sat criss cross on the floor in the middle of his room, across from an empty space which Jay would occupy later. Next to him sat J-Bot, since he had been following Cole around a lot lately. Something Cole wasn't sure if he was supposed to be flattered about or terrified by.

He and Jay were going to try something that the pirate's parents had taught him when he had his first outburst. Before he built J-Bot. When he dangerously hurt his eye, causing him to wear the eyepatch for as long as he could remember.

When he was younger, he first thought the eyepatch was the coolest thing in the world. He _thought_ it would make him look tough and more mature. However, he was proven wrong when all the eyepatch did was succeed in scaring people. He was a little boy with one eye, and he terrified people.

That was why he designed J-Bot to be his first and only friend.

Little did he know that that would all change after he met Pixal.

Suddenly, Jay came back and he closed the door, taking his spot across from Cole, on his knees.

In the middle, Jay put down a box. A board game, to be more precise.

"... 'Starfarer: Space and Samurai'?" Cole looked up at Jay, surprised, but mostly confused. "When you said we'd be doing something your parents taught you after your first outburst, I didn't think it meant we'd be playing a game."

As Cole spoke, Jay took the liberty of opening the board game and laying all of its pieces out. He pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen and handed it to Cole.

"Here. It's for you to build your character."

"Build my character?" Cole repeated him, staring dumbfoundedly at the blank sheet of paper. "Jay, what is this?"

"It's a roleplaying game," he answered very quickly, setting up the game. "I know you're angry, but I thought we could maybe play a game to take your mind off of things? Besides, what's there better to do on the ship all day?"

Cole frowned while Jay happily took out a couple more papers and folders. Finished, he sat down criss-crossed in front of him with a smile on his face. Obviously, Jay was excited to start the game, yet Cole still had no idea how to play. Much less, he had no idea what this game _was_.

His eyes followed over the paper Jay had given him and he picked up on some words and phrases.

Name. Class. Level. Experience Points.

Strength. Intelligence. Flaws. Personality.

And so much more Cole couldn't possibly list.

"I already had a campaign with Pixal from way back when I was living with my parents." Jay set two sheets of paper side by side. One which looked to be filled out near completion already. "Plus, my character already has a lot of experience points. I can create a new one just for you."

"Uhm." At this point, Cole was more than lost now.

He watched Jay pick up the giant booklet, opening it up and hiding his head inside of it as he read.

"So, I guess we'll start a new campaign. That should help you get started creating your character. You can choose anything from a human, alien, ninja, or samurai. 'Course, these are space ninja and space samurai."

Cole blinked. Space ninja and space samurai?

"I normally go for the ninja. Although a space samurai does sound cool. But what's the difference? Really?" Jay snorted, then started to plot out the game.

"Okay, so, in this one, Fritz Donnegan has been captured by an unknown spacecraft. Our job is to rescue him and find out what the unknown spacecraft is plotting as it pans a steady course towards The Never Realm planet. Since we don't have any idea of who's travelling on it, we have to be cautious and stealthy."

The pirate looked up at Cole, hopeful. "So how do you want to start crafting your character?"

Cole looked at the sheet again. It didn't make any sense. _None_ of what Jay was doing made _any _sense at all.

"You should be a ninja! Like me. Or you know, whatever else you want to be." Jay inched around the box and its pieces, sitting right beside Cole and giving his blank character sheet a once over. "Do you need help getting started?"

He took the paper from Cole's hands and went through the list, starting at the top. "Character name. My avatar's usually named something like Bluebell. How about…" Jay's eye quickly panned around Cole's room, trying to pick up on any little details that said something about Cole he could find.

But Cole was tough to crack. After all, it did take Jay years of studying to realize what made Cole tick, and that he hated help from others. Not to mention the guy was really stubborn.

Suddenly, a light went off in his head.

"Rocky!"

That was the last straw for Cole and he snapped. Frantically shaking his head at Jay, the thief stood up, backing away from the game and towards the door.

"Okay, no. Stop. Jay, just _stop_. I don't want to play a game, okay? This… this is _stupid_! How is a game supposed to help me sort out my feelings?" His chest heaved when he saw J-Bot rolling up to him. Cole's eyes flashed.

"Stop following me!"

Without another thought, he turned around, kicking open the door and storming out.

Jay winced, saddened when Cole left.

If Jay had acted out impulsively, he would have ran after Cole and attempted to drag him back into the room. But Jay had some self-control. He stayed on the floor, staring at the empty doorway.

J-Bot settled next to him after Cole had stood up to the little robot.

A small, anxious, beep caught Jay's attention and he cocked his head, patting his hand gently on top of J-Bot.

"It's okay… he probably just needs some more space."

* * *

Harumi couldn't believe all the information she had dug up about Cole. There was so much more uncovered that his files hadn't caught, which proved useful to the former intern.

She had uncovered a busted comm earlier, holding so much personal information on Cole. They were the facts that no one but Cole could reveal about himself. Details such as how he had run away. How his mother had passed early in his life and left behind a dysfunctional relationship between him and his father. And how his father was all about perfection.

After learning that Cole was placed under strict house rules, living with his father, it really opened up her eyes to why Cole thought breaking the rules was fun.

His past was messy and rough. And for a second, Harumi felt a little sympathy for him.

Nevertheless, he was still a criminal. The biggest criminal in the galaxy.

Yet, at this point, she could care less anymore if she got all the galaxy's fugitives and criminals, trapped behind bars.

Her plan had obviously failed. The masks were no longer in her possession. She herself was probably being hunted down for the little stunt she pulled on Chief Garmadon and at the museum. And Cole had proven himself a formidable enemy. The least she could do was make his life miserable. Then, she would take care of Jay next.

She opened the door to Ronin's shop, strutting in as if the place were her own and dumped the box of Cole's belongings onto the counter. Ronin raised his brows, peering down into the box below.

"What's this?"

"First things first," Harumi held out a desperate hand, "did you fix it?"

With a smirk, Ronin handed Harumi Pixal's comm. Now unlocked and disconnected from Jay's, Harumi could easily hunt them down without raising any suspicions around Jay.

"I'd let you look at the tracker, but they've hunkered down somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Which means they won't be changing spots for a while. Thought I'd tell you that."

Harumi slid the comm into her back pocket, pushing the box towards Ronin gently. "Wonderful. These are a box of some of the things which Cole stole." She grinned as she caught Ronin's eye gleam. "I can send you the location of Cole's hideout if you aren't satisfied with what's in there."

"I think I better check it out. For insurance." He let that last part slip out, but was highly intrigued by a room filled with valuable items.

As the man began to open the box, Harumi stretched her arm out over it. Ronin held his hands up, waiting for Harumi to speak.

"Before you look. Could I ask of you for one more favor?"

The con-artist rubbed his chin coy, his interest now peaked once more. "Entertain me, Princess. Whatcha got?"

"Doctor Borg. Think you can take me to him?"

* * *

During the time Jay had confronted Cole about the whole 'up in the sky' situation, Pixal had parked the ship somewhere on the outside of the city, along the rooftop of a building that was no longer in use.

There, they could let down their cloaking device, which had guarded them well for the most part, and cool off for a bit, hopefully without any trouble. It was also to wait on visiting Jay's father, since Cole had insisted going there now was a bad idea.

At one point Cole came out from his room and stumbled into the main bridge where Pixal was still sitting behind the wheel on the lookout. The thief remained silent and didn't make any noise while he was there. His arms were crossed and his brows were taught the last time Pixal looked at him.

"I sense something is off again." She said, trying to get the ball rolling.

Cole glared at her, grimacing.

Since the thief seemed to have no intention of wanting to talk, Pixal stood up. "Would you mind waiting here in case the ship gets spotted while I go rest? I don't normally feel tired, but hiding you two has been draining." Pixal paused, thinking.

_And dealing with you, I suppose._

Cole shrugged as she walked by, his eyes following her as she disappeared into her room. He growled. "Sure. Okay, I guess. Not like I had a choice anyways seeing as you just _left_."

When Pixal came back half an hour later, she certainly had not expected Cole to have left the hangar doors open. Nor had she expected Cole to be missing from the bridge.

The bag of chips fell from her hands and she rushed over to the open door, searching the roof for him. She ran outside, knowing her chances were probably better if she searched the roof in person.

"Cole?" Pixal walked along the edges, peering over the walls in hopes that Cole was just somewhere below her. "Cole? Are you down here?"

She took a deep breath, bracing herself for the neverending silent response that meant Cole was gone. What was Pixal going to tell Jay when she realized she had just lost Cole?

"Pix?"

The droid shot up, staring at Jay, who stood at the edge of the ship. He held his hands close to his chest, worridley fiddling with his fingers. It was a habit Pixal had picked up on when Jay first thought J-Bot had kicked the bucket and would no longer function properly.

Slowly, the space pirate stepped out of the ship.

"What are you doing out here?" He looked around. "And where's Cole? I thought you said he was standing on guard for you?"

"He was…"

"Was? So where is he now?" Jay fled to the other side of the roof, searching frantically for the vanished criminal. He spun around to face Pixal, holding a hand to his head in pain. "Pixal?"

His voice cracked. A clear sign to her that Jay was more desperate than concerned.

There was a lot going through the pirate's mind right now. After Cole had stormed out, Jay sat in silence to reflect. Of course, he thought giving Cole some time to recollect his thoughts would help. But he never thought it would lead to _this_.

If Cole liked to physically let out his rage and frustration, then leaving the ship wasn't a far off thought.

Still, Jay was worried, and desperate.

Pixal opened her mouth to speak but was instantly cut off by Jay.

The space pirate's voice shook with every syllable. He glared at the droid, confusion in his eye. "How could you think leaving him alone was a good idea?! He's a criminal, Pix!" Jay's fists curled and he let out a shaky breath, facing away from her.

"He could not have possibly just _left_," Pixal tried to reason with him.

Jay's lip curled. He pouted. "Yeah? Well… well, we _don't_ know, Pixal. Cole's mind works in some…" Jay screeched, "-just _some_ weird way okay? Heck, I'm still trying to figure out how to get him to open up to me!"

When he realized he had been raising his voice, Jay shut his mouth quickly and without hesitation. He walked over to the ledge, sitting down on the edge of it with his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Pix. I'm just frustrated."

His android friend sat beside him, resting a hand on his thigh to let Jay know it was all okay. The pirate peeked through the cracks between his fingerless gloves and he grinned, dropping his hands. "I don't know… I thought I could get him to open up by playing _Space and Samurai_, or at least loosen up a bit. My parents used to do that with me all the time."

Jay looked at Pixal from the corner of his eye. "_We_ used to play it all the time too, remember?"

Pixal returned the smile wholeheartedly. "Of course, I remember, Jay. You were the one who taught me how to play, if I can recall."

"Right. Yeah." Jay sniffed. His gaze hardened on the concrete below him. "You know, despite it being difficult to get Cole to express himself, at least he can _kind of_ get it. Sometimes. I guess. Right?"

He faked a laugh, thinking about all the times Cole _would_ show affection; through hand holding, very small talk, and most definitely kisses.

But that wasn't enough. And yet, Jay wished it was just as easy as that.

"Maybe I just need to talk with him. One on one. Just me and him."

"I suppose," Pixal agreed, staring at her feet. "Communication is key to any good relationship."

Jay wrinkled his brow, leaning back on a hand. "But this isn't _about_ the relationship. It's about _Cole_." He let out a sigh, turning his head away from the droid.

For weeks, Jay couldn't shake the feeling that _maybe_ Cole was only a bit more closed off and reserved because he tried so hard to keep the "tough guy" and "dangerous criminal" reputation on the outside. And maybe, just maybe, he didn't want to give that up.

"That's cute. What are you two up to? Seeing who can get caught dead out here first?"

Jay's head snapped up. He jumped out of his seat and stared at Cole, who stood idly at the top of the ramp.

"Cole?" His voice was soft. Barely a whisper. But Jay had to force his legs from giving in as he stared jaw droppingly at Cole.

Without another second to lose, Jay ran up and pulled him in for a tight embrace, which was wholly unexpected for the thief. Cole nearly stumbled backwards, looking at Pixal awkwardly before his hands slowly inched their way up to pat Jay's arms.

"Hi?"

The pirate pulled away, gazing lovingly into Cole's eyes. The sound of Pixal clearing her throat snapped Jay out of his trance and he looked at Cole, a little lost. "Were you inside the ship this whole time?"

Cole frowned. "I… Yeah? Just because we're far away from the central part of the city, doesn't mean it isn't still dangerous to be out. What are you doing out here?"

Jay blushed, sparing a glance at Pixal. "Um... the doors were open and we thought... you might have... left."

"That was probably my fault," Cole chuckled his way. Jay quirked a brow.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know... I thought it would be funny to leave it open. See how Pixal would have reacted to it." Cole shrugged innocently, clearly amused by the prank while Jay was left speechless and in shock. "Gotta entertain myself somehow, right?"

Jay's eye twitched. He squinted at the thief, confused out of his mind. Cole thought that was funny? Then again, why should he be so surprised? Cole must think _every_ heart stopping prank was hilarious.

"You-" Jay took a deep breath, controlling his temper. He grabbed Cole's hands. For a moment, Cole was hopeful, and he braced himself for whatever was coming next, assuming it was some good news. Jay opened his mouth. "We need to talk. About you. About feelings."

Cole's heart dropped. Regretfully, he pulled his hands away from Jay, holding them close to his sides. "No... We _don't_. There's nothing to talk about."

"Cole, you said it yourself. You were angry with yourself. But, you _can't_ just let that go."

"I told you what was upsetting me. Isn't that enough?"

Jay's frown deepened and he took a step forward. "_No_. Cole. It's _not_. I can tell you don't like them."

Cole rolled his eyes, smirking playfully. "Like what? I like you."

Once again, Cole tried to shrug it off by jumping straight into the action. He leaned down to kiss Jay but the pirate held up a hand between them, and stopped it in front of Cole's lips. He glared at the thief, causing him to jolt just a little.

"Your emotions." He deadpanned. "_Stop_ trying to avoid the subject. You stormed out when I was just setting up the game today! Clearly you have some issues _and_ you're really stubborn about it. Just let me help you!"

Cole backed away, grimacing. "You're the one who wanted to play a game! I don't see how roleplaying is supposed to help me with my "feelings"." He mocked. "And I already told you over a dozen times: I don't _need_ help."

Jay scoffed. "Why are you like this?"

Cole's eyes flashed. He angrily stepped further away, making sure Jay couldn't reach him. "Because _I'm_ a criminal! I told you. _I'm_ the bad guy. I don't play nice. I get angry. Showing weakness _once_-"

"It isn't a weakness!" Jay grasped for straws, looking for more things to say that would keep Cole's attention on him. "You… fell in love with me. If _you_ think that's a weakness, well I'm reminding you that _you_ fell in love with _me_. You're the one who kissed me first, remember?"

Cole didn't move.

"Don't you want to be the good guy for once?" Jay begged desperately, failing to meet Cole eye to eye on what he was saying. Cole kept his mouth shut. His eyes darkened as he stared at Jay.

"You're killing me, Cole. You are _literally_ killing me." The tone of his voice was sprinkled with hints of annoyance. He folded his arms across his chest deftly.

"Captain, I didn't ask for your help." Cole attempted to clarify.

But Jay didn't need to be called by a cry for "help". Jay only wanted to help because he loved Cole. And Cole was his friend. He just couldn't turn those two things down.

When Jay refused to say anything back, Cole turned around, heading for his quarters.

Jay quickly hesitated and grabbed Cole's arms, forcing him to stay. He racked his brain for words, but his lips wouldn't articulate. Cole stood there, silently, waiting for Jay to make a move.

The pirate visibly tensed... Right now, had had only hoped he hadn't said the wrong thing when he told Cole: "Fine. We're going to the city."

* * *

**Cole's in denial ;(**

**"Harumi felt a little sympathy for him" and that's about all of Harumi being a decent human being I'll show for now lol.**


	14. All for You

**Hey everyone! This chapter is a little long... but I was so excited because I had the next three chapters planned out since the last one, but couldn't get around to them. I started taking classes already, even after just getting out of high school, at my community college for the summer quarter. And, with other personal stuff going on it my life, it's been a little busy. But I hope you all enjoy! I'm still, definitely writing for this and I WILL finish it! Just, not as fast as I expected it to get done by.**

**Anyways, disclaimer that this chapter mainly focuses on Jay and Cole and their relationship right now. There's a short Pixal scene, but I'm saving the Harumi stuff for the next chapter because surprise!**

* * *

"What?!"

Both Pixal and Cole were standing on the edge of their toes, looking to Jay with clear uncertainty in their eyes. The two of them were speechless, sputtering out incoherent nonsense as they searched for the right words.

Jay stood confidently, seemingly unphased by his decision and their reaction to it.

Which was totally _not_ weird at all.

Cole, after having finally found his voice, said something.

"Jay, are you crazy?! Need I _remind_ you that it was your idea to hide up here because you _know_ the second we step foot down there, we're on wanted territory."

The space pirate shut his eye halfway, looking to the side, keeping his mouth shut. He didn't want to have to give Cole the silent treatment nor play him this way, but what the thief had said earlier infuriated him greatly.

Cole was right back to where he had started. Then again, had he really even progressed?

Any sign of vulnerability was a weakness to him. Asking for help, showing emotion.

There was really no way he could show Cole that all of those things were okay. The only thing left he could try was to give him what he wanted. And Cole said he missed having the ground beneath his feet. So he was going to give him just that.

"Are you even listening?" Cole hissed loudly, now mere inches away from Jay.

Jay shook his head, blinking at Cole. "I am listening."

Instinctively, Cole reached out to take Jay's hand, but the space pirate pulled it away before the other could even brush against his fingers. He squared his shoulders and marched past the heartbroken fugitive, making sure to close the hangar doors before directing Pixal to the wheel.

"Pixal, set a course for the center of the city. See if you can find a place to hide the ship before we go down."

His eye flickered towards Cole, who stood off to the side, his eyebrows now in a tight frown. It was painfully obvious to him that the thief was furious about this course of action. And if Jay were to be completely honest with himself, he was a little disappointed in himself too. Yet, now was not the time to show it.

The pirate set a path for his room, but was blocked by Cole, not surprisingly.

His eyes bore into Jay, though a hint of concern could be detected.

"This was because of me, right? I'm sorry. Let's go back to the room and we can… I don't know, we can play your little roleplay game or whatever. But we _can't_ go down there."

Jay's eye twitched. Cole was "sorry"? And for what? He sniffed, straightening his back and poking his finger at Cole's chest accusingly. "That's not how this works, _Cole_."

The thief clenched his teeth, shoving Jay's hand away. "Then how _does_ it work? Captain, we're talking about putting our lives in danger here! What if we get caught?"

Jay wrinkled his nose, grimacing at Cole. He put his hands on his hips deftly, laughing at the whole situation. "I thought you liked taking risks. That you liked the "thrill" and the "adventure"."

Cole physically cringed at how harshly Jay said those words. He racked his brain, trying to come up with some other excuse that would change the pirate's mind. "Yeah, but…"

He closed his mouth, looking to Pixal out of habit for some help. But of course, she was too occupied with flying the ship. Not as if she would have helped Cole anyways trying to talk the Captain out of it. He looked back to Jay, who was waiting impatiently for him to continue where he left off.

The small pirate raised a scarred brow. "But what? Are you _scared_? Make up your _mind_, Cole."

Cole opened his mouth but Jay held up a hand, silencing him. He briskly pushed past the fugitive, heading straight for his room without daring to look back.

"Jay-" His voice cracked as he reached out for the pirate meekly.

"I'm going to look for some disguises to wear once we get down there. But you _can't_ talk me out of this… and stop being so stubborn." He clutched the side of his cape tightly, walking further away from Cole.

Maybe he could knock some sense into his boyfriend.

For Cole's sake.

* * *

Cole curled his fists tightly, watching with sad eyes as Jay disappeared out of sight. He felt helpless and weak after failing to convince Jay to turn back. Worse, he couldn't even tell Jay what he truly felt, back when he hesitated to continue.

He _wasn't_ the only fugitive on the run anymore. He had dragged Jay into this mess and put a bounty over his head as well too. Going down to the city would only put him in danger. And that was the last thing Cole wanted.

"I don't get it. Why won't he listen to me?" Cole screamed, desperate to punch a wall or… anything. Something to take his anger out on.

From the driver's seat, Pixal tilted her head, failing to see where Cole had failed to understand Jay's little outburst.

"Because you do not want to listen to him," she answered, exhausted, although she was sure Cole had meant to ask that rhetorically and without Pixal's input.

Cole squinted. "Listen to him? He doesn't even listen to _me_. I tried to tell him going to the city would be a _terrible_ idea! But he stormed off into his room without a second thought, I-"

"No, Cole. He did listen to you." Pixal interrupted him, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead. "Why do you think he suddenly demanded that we go to the city? Cole, Jay only wanted you to be able to freely express yourself around him. He thought he could change you to be better."

"... Better?" Cole muttered in a soft whisper, his eyes searching the floor for answers that weren't there. He backed into the wall, hugging his arms desperately. "You don't know that… How can you be so sure?"

The android's grip on the wheel tightened. She switched on the autopilot and turned to face Cole, her expression soft, like she was reliving a memory. A smile crossed her face and her eyes fell to the floor, mesmerized.

"Because I've known Jay for twelve years, and there is nothing more important to him than you. He loves you, Cole."

"Ugh, _obviously_. We're dating," he spat bitterly. But still, he couldn't keep his mouth shut and only came up with more words to shoot at her. "But did you forget that he also lied to me and tried to turn me in for a reward?"

Pixal scrunched her brows, noticing how Cole's eyes had turned dark.

"I do not believe you correctly understand. Jay was always fascinated by you even before the two of you ever met. He just didn't realize that he was in love with you until actually _being_ with you."

"Well if Jay loves me, then why's he trying to change me?" Cole snapped, directing his anger at an instruction manual sitting on the table, throwing it off the top of it.

He flinched when he felt Pixal's hand come up to his shoulder. He hadn't been aware that the android had moved closer to him, invading his personal space by _touching _him on the shoulder. This time, however, Cole didn't try to pull away.

"There's a difference between trying to change someone, and trying to improve." Pixal told him, hoping this time, Cole could get it through that thick skull of his.

"I suggest you stop thinking with your head, and start listening to your heart." She quickly made sure to flick the back of Cole's head in a playful manner, before wandering back to the front of the ship to take the wheel.

And for once, Cole actually listened to Pixal. He took everything she had told him to heart, digesting her words while running through the events before in his head.

Jay had every right to treat him the way he did. In fact, Jay had every right to be angry with him.

* * *

Cole didn't stick around in the bridge after their conversation. He had fled to his room, causing Pixal to think that the thief had actually got some sense knocked into him. She truly hoped that Cole was conflicted and confused inside after their little chat.

Because honestly, Pixal didn't understand _what_ Jay saw in Cole.

She had been the space pirate's friend since he was just 6 years old. She had been run down and cast aside by her original builders, and Jay just happened to stumble across her in the junkyard.

"_Maaaaaa! Paaaaaaa!" Jay shouted, hands curled around his lips to project his little voice. "I found something weird looking in the junk! It looks like a robot!" He quickly glanced back at the figure. "A… girl… robot?"_

_The boy slumped onto the pile when his parents didn't say anything back. They probably hadn't heard him from all the way outside. So, Jay turned onto his side and got onto his knees, hunching over the robot._

"_Hmmmm. There's gotta be an on and off switch somewhere, right?" Or perhaps, whoever designed it didn't care to make it as simple as that._

_Jay hooked his fingers underneath the limp body, feeling the back for anything that resembled a power switch. After minutes of searching, Jay resorted to one of his most recent inventions. Carefully, he pulled out a single glove from his pocket and fit it over one of his hands._

_The glove gave him the ability to generate lightning, or electricity, if charged correctly._

_His first prototype was a set of two gloves - but Jay wanted to make the look more flashy, and less unappealing. So one glove oughta do it, he figured._

_Though Jay was confident in his invention working, he wasn't so confident in shocking the android to life. He drew in a sharp breath, pinched his thumb and pointer finger together before holding a single finger to the middle of its chest._

_A burst of light and suddenly its eyes opened._

_Jay's jaw dropped in awe and he quickly removed the glove, scrambling to the side as the android sat up._

"_Oh! Hi?" He said awkwardly, leaning into the droid's view._

_The droid blinked at him. "Hello. My name is P.I.X.A.L. Your Primary Interactive X-ternal Assistant Life-form."_

At the time, she was relatively short and stubby. About Jay's height, and she looked just like a child. Jay's parents had quickly come to love her and installed limb enhancers, so that Pixal could grow just at the same rate as Jay.

When Jay finally decided to leave, he took J-Bot with him. Pixal had come along voluntarily, and also at Ed and Edna's request - to be some kind of guardian angel to Jay.

It wasn't until then which was when Jay started to take an interest in Cole. He had completely stumbled upon the criminal by accident. At the same time, Jay had no idea he was going to take a liking to him so fast.

Cole Brookstone had made his first big heist at 13 years old. Seven years after Jay had met Pixal. It slammed the news _everywhere_. The youngest person to ever be involved in criminal activity in the galaxy.

Jay had gone in way over his head with Cole.

And Pixal just couldn't understand _why._

Jay was a good kid. He was smart, funny, and kind. A bit nervous and kind of a dork, but _nothing_ like Cole.

In fact, Pixal couldn't understand why Jay wanted to even _be_ like Cole. Living a life of crime was… strongly _not_ encouraged.

Since then, she held a grudge against Cole. And while it was a little unfair, considering that Pixal knew nothing whatsoever about the criminal other than what was covered about him by the media, she only did it because she promised to look out for Jay.

But if Jay wanted to be with Cole, she would still support that.

And seeing how much it physically _and_ mentally pained Jay to get Cole to be open and honest with him, Pixal figured that maybe it was time she let go of her grudges, and gave Cole a gentle nudge in the right direction.

For Jay.

* * *

If Cole could say anything about the disguises Jay had come up with for the two of them once they were in the city, it was that they were utterly lame.

Which was why when Jay threw Cole the set of clothes he had specifically picked out for him, the criminal downright refused to change into them. They reached a compromise and Cole was now forced to wear a nearly oversized hoodie. At Jay's request, Cole made sure to keep the hood on, so as to lower his chances of being recognized.

As for Jay himself, the pirate had to abandon his cape and substitute his uniform for something of a zip up jacket, t-shirt, and some jeans. There was nothing he could do about the eyepatch, unfortunately, but Jay didn't mind it.

"What's the plan, Captain?" Cole asked him once the ship landed. The two of them stood in front of the doors, waiting for Pixal to catch up.

Jay reluctantly shrugged, looking to the side. "Whatever you'd like to do, I guess."

Cole frowned, trying to ignore the pang of guilt he felt inside. He reached for Jay's hand again, and this time, Jay didn't try to avoid it. Yet, when Cole held Jay's hand, the pirate didn't hold him back. He squeezed his fingers desperately, trying to get Jay to look his way, but it didn't work.

Looking at the space pirate, Cole could tell that he wasn't even in the slightest bit sad. Nor was Jay completely and totally angry. He just appeared to be tired, and maybe even a little spacey.

"Everything is all ready. I've made sure to hide the ship in a secure location and have cloaked the ship just in case." Pixal informed the two of them, opening the doors to the ship. She looked at Cole for a brief moment before moving her eyes to Jay. "Will you two be okay if I search the city for some more fuel? The ship could really use it."

Suddenly, Jay's hand tightened around Cole's. The thief's head snapped up and his eyes fixated on Jay. "Yeah, we'll be fine."

Cole didn't know what to make of this. He'd never heard Jay so cold before.

And Cole didn't like that.

"Wait. Before we go-" Cole lifted his hands up to Jay's shoulders and turned around so that they were face to face. Jay's one eye quickly fell to the floor, making Cole just a tad bit more infuriated. "Jay, can we talk?"

"Now you want to _talk_?" He hissed quietly, a grimace on his face.

Cole locked eyes with Pixal over Jay's shoulder, urging her to go ahead and leave without them. Once she was off the ship, Cole drew all his attention to Jay, forcing himself to cut straight to the chase.

"Captain-" Cole squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. His hands travelled down Jay's shoulders and he took both of his hands in his, taking a deep breath. His boyfriend glanced up at him momentarily, eye swimming with curiosity. "I mean, _Jay_…"

"You're… incredible."

Jay tilted his head. Cole held him back just to tell him that he was "incredible"? Really, he couldn't help but feel flattered.

"And I'm _crazy_ in love with you." Cole continued. Jay cocked a brow. Oh? "I'm hard headed, and I'm stubborn. Like, really, _really_, stubborn. And you have every right to be upset with me. I wouldn't listen to you and… I'm sorry. But I want to be better. For you. I'll take your help… if you'd let me."

For a moment, everything was quiet, and Cole was afraid he said the wrong things. Either that or Jay just hadn't listened to any of what he said. Which was fair, seeing as how Jay wasn't on good terms with him at the moment.

But Cole hoped that, if anything, Jay _had_ heard him. And that at very least, Jay was just taking a moment to register his words.

"You're really going to try?"

What Jay had said had come out in a whisper. Just barely audible, yet still loud enough for Cole to fully understand. His fingers looped around Jay's and he squeezed his hands gently, nodding.

"Yes. Yes, I will!" Unknowingly, a smile had appeared on Cole's face. Maybe it was because of how happy Jay was. Or maybe it was because he was finally beginning to feel a little lighter.

He leaned closer to Jay, "I promise. I'll talk to you. I'll tell you how I feel. I'll be more mindful and honest with you. I'll even play that role playing game you were setting up before. I just want to -"

Jay wrapped his arms around Cole's waist, holding him tightly, and holding him close. His face disappeared into Cole's chest, at which Cole couldn't help but run a hand through his chestnut colored locks.

In one swift motion, the pirate tore off Cole's hood, and with both hands on either side of his boyfriend's head, leaned up to kiss him, smiling against his lips.

"We can start once we get back."

* * *

Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't be returning to the ship anytime soon.

While Pixal was scouring some parts of the city for extra fuel, Jay and Cole had come across a bookstore where Cole suggested they take a look around. Cole happened to like the smell of new books, just the same as reading them.

Before Cole began his life of crime, he was the biggest bookworm ever. He had a particular soft spot for books, as it was common for him and his mother to read side by side in bed. Cole always felt safe in her arms, all in all warm and cozy, but pulled into the most whimsical, fantasy worlds.

"Look! They've got a signed copy of the recent _Starfarer_ comic!" Jay tugged on Cole's sleeve with bright eyes, pointing to the comic on the shelf.

Cole's eyes softened at how overexcited Jay was about it. The pirate was hovering around the comic like a magnet, reaching out to touch it but then getting too overwhelmed and pulling his hands away.

"Did you want it?" Cole whispered into his ear, "I could _steal_ it for you?"

Jay's face went red and he shoved Cole to the side, frowning at him. "_Cole!_"

"Ah, come on," he reached for the comic but Jay slapped his hand away. The thief hissed. "It's just a little shoplifting. What's that going to do?"

"You don't need to steal things you can just buy," Jay affirmed, standing between Cole and the shelf. "Besides… I don't need it. I think. Doesn't matter. I'm just really excited to get back."

He lurched for Cole's hand, smiling softly. "I want to know more about what's in _here_," Jay poked at Cole's chest, gesturing to his heart, then travelled upwards and flicked Cole in the forehead, "than what's up _there_."

"I'm starting to think I made the wrong decision," Cole joked, claiming the sappiness was spreading to him like a disease.

As Jay perused the bookstore, Cole decided he needed some fresh air.

After being on Jay's ship for weeks then heading down to the city only to enclose themselves in the bookstore was just as bad as it sounded. He wanted to feel the wind against the cheeks. The solid ground beneath his feet and the grass he could walk on.

"I won't be too far," he told Jay, pointing at the park across the street.

Jay, a little worried, hugged Cole's arm. "Okay. But don't be gone too long. We're still wanted criminals."

Cole laughed, patting the top of Jay's head comfortingly. "Right. Just don't forget it was your idea to come down here."

"Yeah. Okay. Whatever." Jay stuck out his tongue, rolling his eyes as he elbowed Cole playfully. "I love you."

So, Cole crossed the street and sat on the grass. His fingers wove through the blades of grass delicately as he closed his eyes, immersing himself in the gentleness of it all. Being outside on the grass in the dark was one of Cole's favorite things to do when he wasn't plotting a heist or stealing something.

Without thinking, he pulled off his hood, letting the wind get tangled in his hair. He felt so free and relaxed. Completely surrounded by his element.

He let go of the breath he had been holding and fell back onto the ground, arms splayed out beneath the stars. He shut his eyes.

But it didn't get to last too long when Cole heard a strangely familiar voice pull him out of his thoughts. A voice that almost _exactly_ sounded like Ronin's.

"Huh, I can't believe I found you, Brookstone. No, actually, I can. Where's your boyfriend?"


End file.
